Tag: Fo

ISLAMABAD - Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Abdul Basit Thursday said two special flights would be sent to Egypt within 24 hours to evacuate the stranded Pakistani diplomatic staff and other nationals Egypt. The assurance came as the family members of the people trapped in the strife-torn Egypt are worried over the lack of arrangements on the part of government for their evacuation.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the special plane would reach Cairo

ISLAMABAD - The contentious issue of Raymond Davis, a US citizen currently detained in Lahore for killing two Pakistanis, caused uproar in the Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday when spokesman Abdul Basit declined to answer queries on the vital matter leading to a walkout by the reporters and an abrupt end to the ministry's weekly briefing.
Reporters anxious to dig out information and know the exact stance of the Foreign Ministry on the status of Davis, who is dubbed as diplomat by

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Tuesday deplored a US media report that dubbed its nuclear programme as a major challenge to the Obama administration's policy. Commenting on David E Sanger and Eric Schmitt's article titled 'Pakistani Nuclear Arms Pose Challenge to US Policy' published by New York Times on Monday, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said unnecessary alarming reporting about Pakistan's nuclear programme continued to surface occasionally.

ISLAMABAD - All Pakistanis in Egypt are safe and if needed, they will be rescued from the troubled country, said the Foreign Office here on Sunday.
The Foreign Office spokesman, Abdul Basit, in a statement, said there were at least 150 Pakistani families in Egypt and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassy in Cairo were in close contact.
He said the government of Pakistan would take every possible step to ensure the wellbeing and safety of Pakistani citizens.

ISLAMABAD - The government on Saturday said an inquiry had been ordered into a scam regarding issuance of visas by foreign missions on basis of recommendations made by the officials in those offices.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said in a statement that the Foreign Office had instituted a formal inquiry into allegations regarding the visa scam. He said, "The findings would be shared." Basit, however, called a media report regarding the visa scam "rather sensational" and

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Thursday said it would not accept any foreign pressure for launching a military offensive against the Al Qaeda and Taliban-linked militants in North Waziristan, which the United States believes has become the hub of global terrorism.
"Washington knows our position, our viewpoint on full-scale operations in North Waziristan very well and we will move ahead at a time of our own choosing," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said while addressing his weekly

ISLAMABAD: Perturbed over the illness of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, the Foreign Ministry has directed the Pakistan Embassy in Washington to keep it posted about the US special envoy's "critical" health condition.
"We are worried at the sudden illness of Ambassador Holbrooke not only because of his key role in this region, but also because of his sympathetic attitude towards Islamabad and especially his active involvement in flood-relief activities," a Foreign Ministry official

ISLAMABAD: Criticising the multi-billion nuclear agreement between France and India, Pakistan on Thursday said the deal, under which India would receive two nuclear reactors, would create mistrust and would have serious security implications in South Asia.
"We strongly believe that creating exceptions for any country is not only a step backwards in terms of promoting peaceful nuclear cooperation, but also has serious security implications at the regional and global levels,"

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said on Sunday that he hoped Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's Kabul visit would help enhance Pak-Afghan economic ties.
Basit said the main objective of Gilani's visit was to increase mutual trust, as it was in the benefit of both countries. He said a lot of progress was made in trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan during the last two years, which had raised the masses' expectations of cordial and friendly bilateral

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday criticised the uncovering of sensitive diplomatic documents by WikiLeaks saying it considers the "extremely negative reports" carried on Pakistan-Saudi relations "misleading and contrary to facts".
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said, "We consider the extremely negative reports carried on Pakistan-Saudi relations attributed to Wikileaks as misleading and contrary to facts.
Pakistan enjoys a very special and unique relationship with the

ISLAMABAD: Distancing itself from Interior Minister Rehman Malik's recent statement in which he tacitly absolved India of involvement in terrorist acts on Pakistani soil, the Foreign Office on Monday said it could be the minister's personal opinion but not Islamabad's known stance on the contentious issue.
"The banned TTP, Al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have joined hands and are using each other's resources to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan," Malik told reporters

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has taken serious notice of below par arrangements made by the Directorate of Haj for Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia and ordered an immediate inquiry into the matter.
"The prime minister has also recalled the haj director general to Pakistan," an official statement issued on Saturday said. Gilani said the shifting of responsibility and blame game was unacceptable and ordered that the Foreign Ministry should coordinate all

ISLAMABAD: Expressing disappointment over India's non-serious attitude towards Indo-Pak talks, Pakistan on Thursday sought intervention by US President Barack Obama for the resolution of the Kashmir and other disputes between the countries.
"It is hoped that during his forthcoming visit to India, President Obama will take up issues that are central to ensuring peace and stability in this region. Pakistan hopes that the US being a major power can play its role for regional