ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Monday dismissed as ‘baseless’ the comments attributed to the Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir that the Pentagon had financed Western media to destabilise the Arab countries. The Foreign Office spokesperson, in a statement, dubbed the comments ‘wholly concocted’ released to the newspapers and channels by a private wire service. The news agency had quoted the Foreign Secretary as telling the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign affairs on Saturday that the Pentagon injected US $130 million in western media to destabilise the Arab states.
The spokesperson said, “Such reports deviate from the standards of credible and accurate reporting which is the essence of responsible journalism.” Meanwhile, the Foreign office on Monday also dismissed a media report that blamed Pakistan for criticising Australia over the Libyan no-fly zone. A news report in Canberra Times by Nicholas Stuart quoted Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir as sending a ‘stinging message’ to Australia over what he described a failure to engage constructively with regional issues.
The Foreign Office spokesperson, Tehmina Janjua, in a statement said, “Pakistan has a principled position on the ongoing developments in North Africa, which accord entirely with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.” She said, “We have underscored respect for the principles of “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of States and non-interference and non-intervention.” Referring to close friendly and cooperative relations with Australia, Janjua said, “We have worked together in multilateral fora and respect Australia’s efforts to uphold the principles of the UN Charter, human rights and humanitarian norms. And no message was intended or directed towards Australia.”
