Senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States will meet early next week at a trilateral meeting in Kabul to discuss peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir leading the Pakistani delegation on the invitation of the Afghan deputy foreign minister.
Foreign Office Spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua told reporters here at a weekly briefing on Saturday that in the foreign policy domain, Pakistan’s engagement in its immediate region as well as with important stakeholders of the international system continued. She said this multi-track engagement was designed to safeguard the country’s national interests as well as deepen consultations with key partners, all neighbours, major powers and important global actors.
“We continue in our endeavours to deepen our engagement with Afghanistan. We are working for result-oriented and meaningful dialogue with India,” she said. When asked to comment on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement that the US would not forgo the right to strike inside Pakistan if certain high-value targets were found there, Janjua said it was best not to discuss such issues and give messages through the media. The most important thing was to have reasonable and reasoned discussions at the official level with the US government and those, she said, continued. Those who understood the global media context also understood that there was a lot of information on the media, some motivated, and some based on misinformation.
“As I said, media messaging is not the best answer to these questions. Under the circumstances the best thing is to have reasonable and reasoned discussions with our interlocutors in the US, and those will be made public when we reach some understanding,” said Janjua.
“We focus on the US statements that come from the official domain. In the official domain, positive statements have been made, among others by, President (Barack) Obama, by Secretary of State Clinton and by Senator (John) Kerry. As for the media, this is where your responsibility comes into play, to tell what is true about Pakistan. We have said that Pakistan attaches high importance to our relations with the US. Yes, Pakistan-US relations have passed through a period of stress. Both are capable of ensuring that the merits of this important relationship prevail for mutual benefit. Our communications with the US are indicative of the desire to steer the relations in a productive direction,” she added.
Asked whether the Pakistani leadership’s recent visits to Russia and China were aimed at seeking replacement to the US as primary provider for Pakistan’s economic and defence needs, the Foreign Office spokeswoman said each relationship, whether with the US or China or Russia, was a stand-alone relationship.
“Each has its own merits and each relationship has it own value. Pakistan seeks excellent relations with all. Of course, Pakistan-China relations have a long and glorious history and a bright future. We seek to build quality relations with Russia and the US based on equality, mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual trust. The president paid a very successful visit to Russia. In many ways it was indeed historic,” she added. Asked whether the dates for Clinton’s visit to Pakistan had been confirmed, Janjua said the dates had not yet been decided.
“On drone attacks, we continue to discuss all issues with the US. In this context, we have very clearly said to the US that these are definitely not acceptable. We need to move away from unilateral actions towards cooperation which serves the interest of countering terrorism,” she said.
Janjua also avoided a question about whether the government would conduct investigation into how Osama bin Laden was able to remain in Pakistan for five years and why his stay in Abbottabad was not identified by security forces. “This is a matter that has been amply addressed by parliament, amply addressed by the prime minister and the resolution of the joint session of parliament, and therefore I need not elaborate on it further,” she said.
When asked whether the Russian government had approached Pakistan for clarification on the killing of five Chechens, Janjua said the passport that was flashed in the media of one of the individuals killed in Quetta was Russian.
“So obviously the Russians have the right to know who these individuals were. They have asked us about the details of these individuals. At the moment, investigations into this incident are underway and when we have details, we will share them with the Russian side,” she added.
Asked how China would safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty as stated in the Sino-Pak joint statement, the spokeswoman said the government and people of Pakistan had the will and the capacity to safeguard their national interests. “China has strongly expressed its support for Pakistan and we welcome it,” she added.
To a question about the joint statement issued on the eve Senator Kerry’s visit, in which Janjua was asked to elaborate on “several immediate steps” to underscore Pakistan’s seriousness in renewing full cooperative efforts with the US, she said the country was fighting terrorism for its own sake.
“There is consensus among the people of Pakistan that we have to pursue this fight ourselves. Pakistan, in undertaking this fight against terrorism, will have to take into account its national interests and priorities. This is being recognised in the joint statement issued on Senator Kerry’s visit,” she said. She said the resolution called upon the government to revisit and review its terms of engagement with the US.
“When Senator Kerry visited Pakistan, he mentioned, and this has been reflected in the joint statement with Senator Kerry, that we need to ‘reset’ the relationship. All discussions with the US are taking place in this context. Both sides need to get the terms of engagement right. Both have said often that the partnership approach warrants mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit. Both sides recognise the importance of the relationship. Over-speculation does not serve any purpose,” she stated.
She said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s visit to China was prescheduled, and that the main drivers of the Sino-Pak relationship were economy, trade, technology and people-to-people contacts.
