- Pakistan, US are old friends and partners and would continue to pursue the relations on basis of mutual respect: FO spokesperson Mrs Baloch
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday dismissed speculations US president-elect Donald Trump would try to “influence or pressurise Pakistan’s internal politics,” describing Pakistan and the US as “old friends and partners,” and will continue to pursue these relations on the basis of mutual respect.
“We see this as speculative reporting, and as I just said, Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners, and we will continue to pursue our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated during weekly press briefing on Thursday responded when asked whether Trump, after becoming the president, would influence Pakistan’s internal politics and whether the Pakistan government would possibly be pressurised by his administration.
Soon after Trump started his election campaign for the 2024 race, unsubstantiated reports began circulating on social media, stating that if Trump were to win the US presidential election, it would bring favourable outcomes for Imran Khan and US-Pakistan relations.
However, senior PTI leader and former central spokesman, Raoof Hassan, has asserted that no one in the party had ever thought that Imran would be released if Trump won the US elections. Calling the narrative “mere propaganda”, Hassan said that Khan’s release would only materialise after the PTI sat across the table and held dialogue with the powerful establishment in the country.
She went on to say that Pakistan’s relations with the US were decades old and the country was looking forward to further strengthening and broadening the relationship in all fields.
“As the deputy prime minister said in a tweet yesterday, we look forward to fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.”
Pakistan and the United States established diplomatic relations on August 15, 1947, making the US one of the first nations to recognise Pakistan. The two countries have had a multi-faceted relationship for decades in areas ranging from counter-terrorism to energy to trade and investment.
The US approach towards Pakistan has been called largely “paradoxical” due to varying US interests in the region. While the countries have continued to foster bilateral ties, the constant ups and downs reflect that their relations remain unpredictable when it comes to serving national interests.
Yasin Malik’s deteriorating health
The FO spokesperson also expressed concern over the deteriorating health of imprisoned Kashmiri leader Muhammad Yasin Malik,
The former chief of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) went on a hunger strike last week in jail where he has been languishing after an Indian court last year sentenced him to life in prison.
Malik had refused to accept a government-appointed lawyer or to defend himself against the charges.
The FO spokesperson said, “We are concerned about the reports of deteriorating health of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik as he observes a hunger strike in protest for the poor conditions and insufficient medical care in New Delhi’s Tihar jail.”
“After being framed in fictitious cases, Malik remains incarcerated for the last several years and is facing a death sentence,” she stated urging “Indian authorities to provide quality medical care to Malik and immediately release him.”
Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s “political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.”
The FO spokesperson also welcomed United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese’s latest report which called out Israel for “a systematic agenda of forced displacement, annihilation and genocide” in Gaza and the West Bank.
According to Baloch, the report highlights how “Israel has been committing genocide against the Palestinian people through acts of territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing.”
While endorsing Albanese’s stance on Israel obstructing international investigation efforts, the FO spokesperson affirmed Pakistan’s support in urging the international community to act “in bringing an end to Israel’s unbridled atrocity against the Palestinians and ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza and full financing and protection of United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)”.
Baloch said, “Pakistan calls for an immediate secession of hostilities in Gaza, Palestine and Lebanon, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unhindered humanitarian access and health care to those in urgent need.”
Second Arab-Islamic Summit
FO announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Saudi Arabia to participate in the second joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11.
“The summit is being convened at the initiative of the government of Saudi Arabia to discuss the situation in the Middle East,” the spokesperson said.
Baloch stated that heads of states, governments, and senior officials from the Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries are expected to participate in the summit.
COP 29 visit
PM will visit Baku, Azerbaijan to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at COP 29 taking place on Nov 12 to 13, FO spokesperson stated.
“As part of the 29th UN climate change conference, the PM will be accompanied by foreign minister Ishaq Dar, other cabinet members and senior officials,” Baloch said.
