–FO says there should be no undue restriction on access to dual-use items and technologies for legitimate purposes
ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) shall be contacted for details regarding the addition of seven Pakistani companies to the Foreign Entities List by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce last week, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement comes two days after Islamabad’s warning to the US in regard to directing any sort of attack on Pakistan’s nuclear non-proliferation credentials over the same move.
“We shall be seeking information from the US as well as these companies to better understand the circumstances which led to the listing,” said the statement. “Pakistan believes that there should be no undue restrictions on the access to dual-use items and technologies for peaceful and legitimate purposes.”
Warning against ‘unnecessarily’ politicising of the issue, the FO said: “We reject the attempts by Pakistan’s detractors to exploit these listings to cast aspersions on Pakistan’s non-proliferation credentials.”
“Such attempts give rise to doubts about the motivation and timing of these measures which will be seen as being politically-driven,” it emphasised.
Additionally, during a weekly briefing on the country’s foreign affairs, FO Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal gave details on the moments of the Tashkent Conference and made an announcement of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s upcoming visit to Afghanistan as part of continuous engagement for peace in the neighbouring country.
The spokesperson informed that the PM had been invited by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua`s recent visit to Afghanistan.
Commenting on US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells visit, Dr Faisal said that she was in the federal capital for talks with senior officials as part of the positive engagement between the two countries for finding common grounds on multiple issues including countering terrorism, FATF and the Afghan problem.
Dr Faisal also restated that Pakistan can and will respond to India’s aggression at the time and place of its choosing.
He said that India should not misjudge Pakistan’s fortitude, for it knows how to defend its borders and territory.
He observed that Pakistan Day was celebrated all over the world with enthusiasm and that no one could put a dent in this enthusiasm with which we aim to serve our country.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan president is on an official visit to Pakistan, during which the FO apprised him of the human rights violations being committed in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Three reconciliatory commemorations were also signed.
Furthermore, the FO condemned ‘anti-Pakistan’ statements issued by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid earlier this week.
The Bangladeshi PM had said that the people of Bangladesh “must respond to those who have been lost in their love for Pakistan” during a speech on 25 March, the day of Liberation War.
“They must be punished. We must make them forget their love for Pakistan,” she had said.
Dr Faisal termed Wajid’s remarks as being against the spirit of the 1974 tripartite agreement.
