FO refutes defence minister’s statement on suspension of intel cooperation with US

• Foreign office spokesperson says recent terrorist attack in Quetta traced to Afghanistan

• ‘Islamabad, Washington understand importance of lines of communication’

ISLAMABAD: In an interesting turn of events, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal Thursday refuted the claim made by Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir regarding the suspension of intelligence cooperation with the United States (US), saying that the two sides continue to communicate with each other on various issues of mutual interest at different levels.

“On the basis of intelligence shared with the US, we have been able to secure the region and decimate al-Qaeda. This has been acknowledged by the US leadership. We have conveyed to the US that actionable intelligence sharing can help in advancing the shared goal of defeating terrorism from the region,” the spokesman made these comments during the weekly briefing here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

“Pakistan has been facilitating the US-led mission in Afghanistan through its ground and air lines of communication for the last 16 years. Pakistan’s support to the US has been critical in dealing with the challenges of terrorism in the region. Both sides understand the importance of the lines of communication,” the spokesman said.

About the statement made by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, who said that Pakistan was no more an ally of the US, Dr Faisal said the foreign minister was expressing his frustration at the unwarranted US accusations against Pakistan and the unilateral decision to suspend the security assistance, despite Pakistan’s extraordinary sacrifices and contribution in the war against terrorism.

“The provocative statements by the US leadership notwithstanding, Pakistan’s response has been measured, as we believe that continued Pak-US cooperation is important for the stability of the region, especially Afghanistan,” he added.

He said the decision to suspend Pakistan’s security assistance is a unilateral step by the US, which would have its negative implications for the stability of the region.

“On our part, we have stated that we do not seek US assistance. Pakistan’s commitment to continue its CT and law enforcement actions throughout the country will continue in our national interest, irrespective of any suspension of foreign assistance,” he said.

‘PAKISTAN AWARE OF RAW, CIA, NDS NEXUS’:

The spokesman said Pakistan was aware of the close nexus developing between the intelligence agencies of US, India and Afghanistan and “appropriate actions” are being taken to preempt the threats.

“We have repeatedly said that Pakistan will take action on the basis of any actionable intelligence/ information provided to us. On, NDS, RAW and CIA, we are aware of all these things that are happening, and appropriate steps are being taken in this regard,” he said.

The spokesman refuted the allegations about the presence of Taliban leadership in Pakistan. “We completely deny this allegation,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman made it clear that Pakistan has never talked about nor even thought of a hot pursuit into Afghanistan to clear terrorist hideouts.

“We have repeatedly said that we will take action against any terrorist element, in Pakistan, if actionable intelligence is shared with us. Similarly, Pakistan expects that the Afghan side will also do the same so that the menace of terrorism, which is a global phenomenon, can be rooted out,” he added.

“We were informed by the CGS (chief of general staff) yesterday that the Quetta attack has been traced back to Afghanistan. I will confirm whether we have so far shared this information with the Afghan side. The traces of the last terrorist attack in Quetta led to Afghanistan also and we shared those details with the Afghan side,” he said.

He said that a briefing for the diplomatic missions by military on Pakistan’s efforts in the war on terror was very successful as the foreign minister, chief of general staff, foreign secretary, DGMO and DGMI briefed the members of the diplomatic corps on Pakistan’s efforts in counter-terrorism, particularly operations Zarb-e-Azb, Raddul Fassad and Khyber-IV, and the gains achieved and losses incurred as a result of these operations.

“The diplomats were also briefed about Indian aggression on LoC and the Working Boundary, especially Indian forces’ use of IEDs to target civilians and army personnel. It was a very detailed and comprehensive briefing, which was appreciated by the members of the diplomatic corps,” he added.

Responding to a question about the missing Indian journalist who filed a story for The Quint, confirming Kulbushan Jhadev’s origins to RAW, the spokesman said that the Indian publication published a story on Commander Jadhav’s recruitment by RAW to work in Pakistan.

He said the story quoted two former RAW chiefs but was later taken down and even the retraction has been deleted and the journalist has reportedly gone missing.

“It is ironic that in this modern day, India is under the mistaken impression that truth can be hidden or distorted just by deleting digital footprints. Other than clear evidence of Commander Jadhav’s linkage with RAW and his espionage, Indian attempts to muzzle the media is condemnable and against the principle of free and impartial reporting proving the ‘shameocracy’ India has become,” he added.

On Indian efforts for an official language status to the Hindi language at the United Nations, the spokesman said the UN has six officially recognised languages—including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

“There are mechanisms, procedures and rules for review and decision on such proposals. This is not a new proposal. Such proposals, including for other languages, have also been made in the past. We understand that there is no consensus on this proposal, either at the UN or within the country concerned,” he added.

On dialogue with India, the spokesman said Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains the cardinal issue, which also includes the issue of Sir Creek and Siachen as well as people to people contacts, trade, prisoners, etc.

“Pakistan has consistently maintained that the only way forward is through a comprehensive, result oriented, uninterrupted, uninterruptible dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues. We are also ready to talk about the issue of terrorism, which is a global phenomenon. However, since India is not ready to talk to Pakistan, nothing much can be done,” he added.