ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said Pakistan had taken note of US President Barack Obama’s statement after the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) and was ready to discuss arms control and restraint measures with India for peace and security in South Asia.
President Obama, after the NSS, had called for seeing progress in the subcontinent, by ensuring that Pakistan and India are not continually moving in the wrong direction as they develop military doctrines, FO Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in weekly press briefing.
Pakistan strongly believes in peace and stability in the region and was opposed to nuclear and conventional arms race, he said. There was an increased understanding at the international level of Pakistan’s genuine concerns regarding the rapidly growing Indian conventional and nuclear capabilities and their offensive military designs, he added.
Describing the outcome of the fourth Nuclear Security Summit as a significant event from Pakistan’s perspective in many ways, the spokesperson told a weekly briefing that Pakistan received a broad appreciation at the summit over the steps taken for the security and safety of nuclear weapons. He said constructive engagement in the process had helped in highlighting Pakistan’s strong national nuclear security, command and control system, rigorous regulatory regime and comprehensive export controls.
Nafees said the Nuclear Suppliers Group (SSG) was discussing the membership of non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty states and Pakistan was confident of becoming a member.
When asked about the India’s consular access to the arrested RAW officer Kulbhoshan Yadav, he said the matter was still under consideration. The investigation into RAW officer’s activities in Pakistan was in progress and Pakistani law enforcing agencies were making every effort to nab any individual involved in subversive activities in the country, he added.
He said Islamabad had already briefed the P-5 countries and the European Union on the RAW officer’s activities in Pakistan. Pakistan would continue sharing with the international community whatever additional information was gleaned from Yadav, he added.
Replying to a question about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Nafees said he would not like to comment on relations between the two sovereign states.
Answering another question, he said Pakistan had been raising the issue of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in the country with the international community but a solid proof had been obtained for the first time. He said that some more agents had been arrested on information gleaned from the Indian spy.
On the meeting between foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India, he said both sides were in touch with each other and they would meet in due course of time. “There is no other option except dialogue to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries.”
He said the Pakistani JIT was analysing the information gathered in India during a recent visit.
To a question on the timing of the arrest of RAW officer, he dismissed the impression it was to jeopardise the visit of the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani to Islamabad. The visit had opened up new avenues for promoting bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, he added.
Answering a question about the delay in talks between the Taliban and Afghan government, the spokesperson said it was not the sole responsibility of Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. The Quadrilateral Coordination Group – comprising Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US – had held many meetings to discuss the thorny issue and could do so whenever they desired so.
Reacting to a reported statement of Afghan president Ashraf Ghani, he said Pakistan was committed to an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and had high stakes in peace and stability of that country.
About the deportation of Pakistani nationals from Greece, he said 130 Pakistanis were deported on April 4 from a port in Turkey, adding that the Pakistani ambassador in Athens was in contact with the Greek authorities on the issue.
Meanwhile, addressing an event at the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia in New Delhi, Pakistani High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit said that the peace process between Pakistan and India was suspended at present, terming the arrest of Indian spy a proof of the country’s long-held stance on terrorism.
“As far as I know there is no meeting scheduled between the foreign secretaries [of the two countries] yet,” Abdul Basit said.Basit said the recent arrest of Indian spy Kulbhoshan Yadav irrefutably corroborated what Pakistan had been saying all along, ANI News reported.The high commissioner said that an Indian investigation team will not be allowed to visit Pakistan on the Pathankot airbase attack incident.http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/111191-Pakistan-ready-to-discuss-arms-control-with-India-FO
Comments are closed.