Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 15/01/2007

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS BRIEFING ON 15 JANUARY 2007

There was made no statement in the beginning, and the Press Conference opened with Question/Answer Session.

Question/Answer Session

In response to a question about the forthcoming meeting of the Pakistan-India Joint Commission, the spokesperson said:

This Joint Commission has four sub-commissions. These are: i) Information and Education; ii) Environment, Science and Technology, iii) Tourism, Agriculture, and iv) IT and Telecommunication. Three of the sub-commissions have already met and the one on Information and Education is likely to meet in February in New Delhi . Joint Commissions meeting will take place subsequent to this meeting.

Asked whether Pakistan formally tabled any specific ideas on the issue on issue of Jammu and Kashmir during the Indian Foreign Minister's visit to Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

Jammu and Kashmir issue was discussed in great detail during Mr. Mukharjee calls on the President and Prime Minister and in the meetings between the two Foreign Ministers. For us, Jammu and Kashmir remains the core issue and we believe progress on the Kashmir dispute would facilitate normalization of relations between Pakistan and India . There are a number of ideas that have been discussed at various meetings at various levels and at different times.

 
When asked to comment on the reported statement by US Director National Intelligence that India was losing patience with Pakistan on the issue of so-called infiltration and that India might take preemptive action against Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

I have seen the transcript of his written testimony and I do not recall seeing these remarks. However, as regards a pre-emptive strike against Pakistan , they should know that this kind of talk is unacceptable. Pakistan will not tolerate that. Pakistan position on the issue is very clear. If India has any information it should come forward and share it with Pakistan . We have repeatedly said that we would investigate and we will take action. If indeed there is any evidence that any group from Pakistan is involved in any terrorist act in India , we have a mechanism through which such information can be shared.

When her comments were sought on the APHC Chairman Mir Waiz Umer Farooq statement that Indian troops should be withdrawn from the Indian Occupied Kashmir so that the way for a just solution of the issue could be paved, the Spokesperson said:

The President of Pakistan has talked about demilitarization. There has been discussions and discourse on these ideas among the Kashmiri leaders and they have extended full support to these ideas.

In response to a question about the Pakistan-India Anti-terrorism mechanism, the Spokesperson said:

When the President met the Indian Prime Minister in Havana , the two leaders agreed that such a mechanism would be established. During the review meeting of the third round of the Composite Dialogue, the two Foreign Secretaries agreed to establish an anti-terrorism mechanism was formed to be headed by the Additional Secretaries UN of the two countries. They would, as announced by the two Foreign Ministers on Saturday, meet before the end of March.

In response to a question about the APHC delegation's visit to Pakistan , the Spokesperson said:

Pakistan welcomes these visits and interactions.

Asked whether Pakistan considered the freedom struggle as terrorism and how would it treat the incidents of terrorism in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, the Spokesperson said:

A freedom struggle is different from terrorism. We make a distinction between freedom struggles and terrorism. This is not just Pakistan 's position but also the international law makes that distinction. The right to self-determination is enshrined in the UN Charter. It recognizes the legality and validity of freedom struggles. UN Covenants on the Civil and Political Rights and Social and Economic Rights recognize that right. There are numerous resolutions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council which recognize the legality of this right. Most nations in Asia and Africa and around the world got their independence as a result of the exercise of their right to self-determination for which they waged freedom struggles. We, however, do not condone and we condemn acts of terrorism in which innocent civilians are targeted whether by States, groups, non-state actors or individuals.

Asked whether any date had been set for the return of the Afghan refugees, the Spokesperson said:

Our preference is that the Afghan refugees should return to Afghanistan at the earliest. We do not want to just push them across the border but want the repatriation to be sustainable. We have hosted them for a long time. We want their repatriation to be sustainable in two ways. One, it should be ensured that repatriated refugees do not come back, as has happened in the past. Secondly, when refugees go to Afghanistan , they should be helped in settling down so that they do not become homeless. In this context, it is very important that the international community and the UN help Pakistan and Afghanistan . The international community and the UN must make efforts for their resettlement or rehabilitation inside Afghanistan .

Asked about the rationale of introducing documentation for the Afghanistan-bound travelers when the Afghan officials reportedly tore them up as soon as they crossed over to Afghanistan and why was not Pakistan insisting on the requirement of visa and passport, the Spokesperson said:

The tribes have the easement rights and there are also Afghan refugees who move between the two countries. The purpose of introducing documentation is to streamline the movement of about two hundred thousand people who move two-way between Pakistan and Afghanistan every month. Because such a large scale of movement, it is very difficult to tell who is a drug-trafficker, who is a criminal, who is a terrorist and who is a genuine traveler. And this may be contributing to violence in Pakistan and in Afghanistan . We would like to streamline the process, control this border, and at the same time not make it difficult for people to travel. It is equally in Afghanistan 's interest to cooperate with Pakistan . Tearing up of documents certainly does not contribute to these efforts.

Asked about an update on the Afghanistan specific Pakistan-NATO transit agreement, the Spokesperson said:

We expect a NATO team to visit Pakistan shortly for further discussions on the text of this agreement.