–FO spokesman says Afghan issue is political and cannot be resolved through force
–Asks India to stop maligning Pakistan, says Islamabad is working on a positive relationship with Delhi
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday said that no special conditions were placed before US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad during his recent visit to Islamabad.
The spokesman, Dr Muhammad Faisal said that Pakistan has begun talks with the US for a Coalition Support Fund (CSF) after Khalilzad called on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and assured him of mutual cooperation.
Adding that US President Donald Trump’s letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted the importance of the Afghan issue, Faisal said that it is a political and not a military matter, hence, Pakistan believes in “moving forward”.
Referring to the atrocities in Indian occupied Kashmir, he said that Indian forces should accept actual facts and stop maligning Pakistan. He added that Pakistan wants to open the Kartarpur corridor before Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary in 2019.
He added that Pakistan is working on a positive relationship with India to resolve the Kashmir issue. “The success of the Kartarpur project should not sideline Kashmir as it is on the top of Pakistan’s list of priorities,” he said.
Deflecting questions pertaining to the rise of the dollar, Faisal said that it falls under the mandate of the finance ministry and the foreign office has nothing to do with it.
He also cleared the air on rumours on Chinese television that Kashmir will become a part of China, claiming that there is no truth to such reports. “The Chinese state television used a pre-approved map in which occupied Kashmir was shown in white.”
