Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 25/06/2007

Transcript of Press Briefing on 25 June 2007

There was no opening statement.

Question/Answer Session

Asked, if the resolutions adopted by the National Assembly and the Senate calling for withdrawal of knighthood of Salman Rushdie and demanding an apology from the British Government represent the Government of Pakistan position, and also how Pakistan views the silence of OIC and the reaction of key Muslim countries e.g. Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the Spokesperson said:

The Parliament resolutions represent the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and the public representatives. The Government of Pakistan has already made its position known. We deplore this decision and we are disappointed by the decision the British Government has taken. We have formally approached the OIC on this matter. As regards the position of other Muslim countries I would not comment on that.

Asked, for comments about the allegations made by the relatives of Indian prisoners who had lamented the fact that they had not been allowed to visit the military jails and also their statement that the Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails had lost their sanity because of ill treatment, the Spokesperson said:

First of all I must say this is ungratefulness. We weren't obliged to allow this visit because efforts to find Indian missing persons in Pakistan had been undertaken in the 70`s, 80`s and 90`s. No Indians were located. It was out of consideration for these families that we allowed them to come here and to visit ten jails. Also we have assured them there are no Indians in any military detention centers. Our word should have been good enough. As regards the condition of Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails, this is a baseless allegation. If we had anything to hide we would not have taken the initiative to form a committee of retired judges to monitor the condition of civilian prisoners in both countries. We have been pursuing this relentlessly. We consider the issue of civilian prisoners a humanitarian issue and we are very keen that it becomes functional as soon as possible so that members of the committee can visit jails in the two countries and make recommendations for improving the condition of civilian prisoners.

In response to questions about the NATO attack and whether the coalition forces had given any assurance that there would be no further attacks inside Pakistani territory in the future, the Spokesperson said:

All the details in these matters are given by ISPR. The Foreign Office has nothing to add to that. The military is on the ground. They monitor the situation. There is coordination but that is in terms of war against terrorism, intelligence sharing, and in pursuing undesirable elements who may want to cross border and action by either side. But action on Pakistani side of the international border is to be taken by Pakistani forces. This is a difficult situation. There are many operations carried out by NATO in Afghanistan close to the international border. It is quite possible that on occasions especially when these elements cross the border, there is lack of coordination and incidents take place. But we do not want any action by NATO forces by crossing the international border.

This incident underscores the need for care and restraint. We have protested on this incident. We condemn the killing of civilians.

Asked, for comments about media reports that families of the victims of Samjhauta Express terrorist act were still waiting for compensation and if the Indian Government had shared any information with Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

No, nothing at all. We have not received any information from India . The Government of Pakistan had announced compensation. I don't know who is the right person to update you on that? I will try to find out whether compensation has been paid.

Asked, for details concerning reports that Pakistan had started receiving F-16 aircraft from US, the Spokesperson said:

I do not have any specific information about the delivery of F-16s. Such specific information if it is to be released would be given by ISPR.

Asked, for comments on the Lal Masjid incident and what the Government was doing to prevent such incidents in the future, the Spokesperson said:

The Chinese hostages have been released and we would have assured the Chinese Embassy that such incident would not recur. Regarding specific steps taken by the Government, well I do not think Foreign Office is the forum to ask such questions.

Asked, if the Chinese Government had registered a protest with the Foreign Office, the Spokesperson said:

No, the Chinese government has not protested. Obviously they were concerned. We were in touch with the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad and with their Foreign Office in Beijing .

Asked, for updates on the current position of the Government of Pakistan decision to fence the border, the Spokesperson said:

I recall some details have already been given out about the fencing of portions of the border which were identified.

Asked, if the Salman Rushdie issue would affect Pakistan – UK relations, the Spokesperson said:

We are disappointed. We have conveyed our disappointment to the British Government. We feel that it undermines our efforts aimed at bringing about greater understanding between religions and civilizations.

Asked, if Pakistan had shared any information with Germany regarding the recent arrest of some German nationals at the Pakistan – Afghanistan border and whether this had led to the decision by the German Government to increase security inside Germany and also of its troops in Afghanistan , the Spokesperson said:

Our authorities would be in contact with the German authorities. It is standard practice that when you detain the nationals of any country, it is informed.

Asked, for the reason for postponing the water talks between Pakistan and India and if this would affect the schedule of the other talks, the Spokesperson said:

You mean the talks on Wullar Barrage. The talks have been rescheduled in August – 21-22 August 2007. And no, this has not had any impact on the schedule of other talks.

Asked, if she agreed with the perception regarding the killing by NATO fire of Pakistani civilians meant that Pakistan had compromised its sovereignty to a puppet Government in Afghanistan , the Spokesperson said:

No. I do not agree with this perception.

Asked, what Pakistan expected from the British Government now that it had conveyed its disappointment regarding the Salman Rushdie issue, and whether the Government of Pakistan endorsed the resolutions passed by the Parliament of Pakistan, the Spokesperson said:

What do you mean by the Government endorsing the Parliament resolutions? I have already said the Parliament resolutions represent the sentiments of the people and their representatives. If you recall the day the British High Commissioner was summoned to the Foreign Office to register our protest, he was handed over a copy of the first resolution adapted by the National Assembly. We are disappointed that the British Government had taken this decision and we deplored it. It is up to the British Government to take into account the sensitivities of Muslims.

Asked, if the Government of Pakistan will launch a petition with the United Nations as the British Government had breached Resolution 1622 of the United Nation, the Spokesperson said:

There is no mechanism to file a petition with the United Nations but we have brought this to the notice of the British Government that their decision to confer knighthood on Salman Rushdie is against the spirit of Resolution 1624 and this does not help the efforts to bridge gaps which may exist between the Muslim world and the West. Also the laws about inciting terrorism and violence are applicable to all.

Asked, if the IPI pipeline had been finalized and whether all the impediments had been removed, the Spokesperson said:

This is an ongoing process. You ask this question at every briefing. There is an energy crisis and this project is critical for Pakistan . The pipeline will not be built in a day. It's an ongoing process and you must have seen the determination with which Pakistan is pursuing this pipeline

Asked, about the status of the President's peace mission on the Middle East and the result of that mission, the Spokesperson said:

There have been many initiatives. The President's imitative which was at the request of a number of Muslim leaders was meant to complement the earlier initiatives and the Pakistani leadership is ready to play a role it can in strengthening those efforts.