- Spokesperson says India’s charges against Lakhvi’s release turned down by UN body on ‘purely technical grounds’
- Denies ISI involvement in Taliban attack on Afghan parliament earlier this week
Pakistan said Thursday that India is trying to politicise the United Nations Security Council’s Sanctions Committee by making unfounded allegations.
During a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said that UN’s sanctions committee had decided not to take any action against the allegations levelled by India.
India had demanded of the UN to take action against Pakistan in the wake of the release of alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. India has relentlessly sought him since the attacks killed over 160 persons, including several foreigners, causing international uproar and a diplomatic storm.
Earlier this week, China blocked India’s move in the United Nations calling for action against Pakistan over Lakhvi’s release on grounds that India did not provide adequate information.
Khalilullah said that a recent complaint by India against Pakistan was discussed in one of the regular meetings of the committee on purely technical grounds, adding that the committee had decided not to take any action. FO spokesperson said Pakistan rejects any insinuations and politically motivated moves and attempts that question its commitment to the UN Security Council’s decisions. He said Pakistan in fact supports and respects the decisions of the Security Council while India, on the other hand, is in open violation of its various resolutions — particularly relating to Jammu and Kashmir.
Talking about construction of a wall on the Line of Control (LoC) in Indian-held Kashmir, the spokesperson said that any alteration in the status of Jammu and Kashmir by Indian authorities would be in violation of UN resolutions.
BBC documentary on MQM:
Commenting on a BBC documentary which claims that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) received funding from Indian authorities, Khalilullah said: “The government of Pakistan has taken notice of it and concerned ministries are investigating the matter.”
Responding to a question, the FO spokesperson said that Pakistani analyst and activist Zaid Hamid has been arrested in Saudi Arabia.
He said that no other details have been shared by Saudi authorities other than his arrest. However, he said, Pakistani embassy in Saudi Arabia has sought consular access to Hamid.
The spokesperson further said that with the efforts of the Foreign Ministry, Hamid’s wife has been able to talk to him.
ISI INVOLVEMENT IN AFGHAN PARLIAMENT ATTACK:
Khalilullah also dismissed Afghan intelligence claims that an officer of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and the Haqqani Network were involved in the attack on the Afghan parliament earlier this week.
Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), alleged on Wednesday that the brazen attack on the parliament building in Kabul was planned in Peshawar.
“We reject these allegations. These allegations have been levelled against ISI and its officers in the past as well,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said.
“Pakistan is a well-wisher of Afghanistan and we are committed to good neighbourly relations and commitment to our relations with Afghanistan,” Qazi said, while responding to a questions regarding the NDS’s allegations reported by the Associated Press.
“Mawlawi Shireen, the military commander of Haqqani network, masterminded the attack and Bilal, an officer of the ISI provided financial and logistical support for it,” NDS spokesperson Haseeb Sediqi told the media.
Sediqi could not provide any proof to substantiate his allegations and also claimed that about Rs7.5 million were spent on the attack.
