Spokesman's Briefing

Date: 13/11/2008

Record of the Press Briefing on 13 November 2008

Opening Statement

Third Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Interior/Home and its preceding Meetings

Pakistan will host the Third Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Interior/Home in Islamabad on 27 November 2008. Interior/Home Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will attend the Meeting.
The Third Meeting of SAARC Ministers of Interior/Home will be preceded by following Meetings;

These Meetings are expected to review the implementation of decisions taken at earlier meetings and discuss additional measures to promote regional cooperation to deal with the menace of terrorism, narcotic and organized crime.

A number of other subjects including the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme; Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters; functioning of SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk; SAARC Drugs Offences Monitoring Desk; and matters relating to combating corruption will also be discussed during the meetings.

Ministry of Interior is organizing these meetings in cooperation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Questions/Answers

Q:      Isn’t it true that the so called group “Friends of Democratic Pakistan” has failed to provide any financial support to Pakistan?  Your comments please?

A:      We have made it clear variously that Friends of Democratic Pakistan is not a donor group.  It is essentially a support group of friendly countries to a democratic Pakistan. The group will support Pakistan in international fora, they will promote investment in Pakistan, support us to increase our exports and provide assistance for selected projects. There are no plans of cash assistance. The meeting of the officials, preparatory to the Ministerial meeting, will be held on 17 November in Abu Dhabi.  It will decide the modalities and agenda for the Foreign Ministers’ level meeting.

Q:      Any particular reason why President Zardari did not attend the dinner hosted by UN Secretary General in New York?

A:      There was no particular reason.  In international conference you do not attend every event.  There are many events around a meeting: Some are attended at Summit level others at Ministerial or official level.   The Foreign Minister represented Pakistan in the said dinner.

Q:      What is happening regarding the fifth round of Composite Dialogue process? How many meetings were held and how many are planned?

A:      Since 2004, Pakistan and India are engaged in a Composite Dialogue process.  The first four rounds of the Composite Dialogue were completed in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The fifth round of the Composite Dialogue was launched on 21 July 2008 in New Delhi with the Foreign Secretary-level talks on the segments of ‘Peace and Security including CBMs’ and ‘Jammu and Kashmir’. The meeting on Terrorism & Drug Trafficking will be held on 25 November 2008 in Islamabad and the meeting on Sir Creek will be held on 2-3 December 2008 in New Delhi under the fifth round of Pakistan-India Composite Dialogue.  The dates for remaining meetings are being finalized.

Pakistan looks forward to continued constructive engagement with India to address all outstanding issues and achieve mutually beneficial cooperative relationship.

Q:      The US President-elect Barak Obama has offered to play a role in finding a solution to the Kashmir dispute. UN Secretary General has also made a statement on resolution of the dispute. However, Indian External Affairs Minister has said that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and needs to be resolved under Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration between the two countries. What is Pakistan’s position on this latest international interest in Kashmir?

A:      Pakistan’s position on the resolution of Kashmir dispute is well known. The UN Security Council resolutions call for the settlement of this dispute through a plebiscite which essentially makes Kashmiris a party to the dispute. Pakistan is ready to consider any constructive proposal for addressing this dispute whether bilaterally or through a multilateral organization or third party mediation. The sooner this dispute is resolved the better off the region would be.

Q:      Prime Minister of Pakistan has expressed his grave concern about Dr. Afia Siddiqui’s detention in US. What is latest on this issue?

A:      Pakistan’s approach to secure the release of Dr. Afia Siddiqui is at multiple levels.  We are in touch with all the concerned, and those who could help us, in the release of Dr. Afia Siddiqui.  We are in touch with the US Embassy in Islamabad, State Department in Washington, and the concerned people in US judicial and legal system.  Government of Pakistan is fully committed to early repatriation of Dr. Afia Siddiqui.

Q:      At what stage are the negotiations between Pakistan and India over the Chenab River flow?

A:      The issue of Chenab River flow arose when India used the water of Chenab River for the initial filling of its Baglihar power plant at a rate higher than what is permitted under the Indus Water Treaty. This led to agricultural losses to Pakistan.

Pakistan is pursuing the matter with India at technical, diplomatic and political levels.

The matter was taken up by the President of Pakistan in his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in New York on 24 September 2008. The matter was again raised by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in his meeting with his Indian counterpart on 24 October 2008. The Indian leadership has affirmed its commitment to the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan hopes that India would resolve the issue at the earliest in accordance with the Indus Water Treaty and in the spirit of promoting good neighbourly relations between the two countries.

Q:      What do you say about the news story that India is building six air bases along Pakistani border?

A:      We have seen the media reports but have no confirmation on their authenticity.  However, we believe that any actions which could increase the tensions or cause an arm race are counterproductive to the interest of the South Asian region and its some 1.5 billion people.

Q:      A senior Minister from the Punjab Government has said that Pakistan will take the issue of stopping of Chenab River flow to ICJ. Your comments please?

A:      Pakistan and India have been talking about the Chenab River issue and we are committed to resolve it through Indus Basin Treaty at this stage. We think that the treaty is working and hopefully the differences between the two sides will be resolved.  However, we have all the avenues open to us under the Indus Basin Treaty and we will take a decision on them if the issue is not resolved.  

Q:      What is the Government doing for retrieval of the kidnapped foreign engineers, Afghan Ambassador and most recently a diplomat from Iranian Consulate? Don’t you think these acts will have negative bearing on Pakistan’s relations with these countries?

A:      The kidnapping incidents targeting foreign diplomats and engineers are extremely unfortunate.  The Government of Pakistan will not leave any stone unturned to secure the safe return of these abductees. The Iranian Ambassador just called on the Foreign Secretary and he was assured of Pakistan’s full commitment to the recovery of the Iranian diplomat.  The other countries, whose nationals are abducted, are also kept informed of the efforts being made by the Government of Pakistan.  The abduction of a diplomat causes great embarrassment to us but the concerned countries are aware of the efforts we are making.

Q:      Strikes in Pakistan’s territory have been occurring despite regular protests from Pakistan. For how long will Pakistan keep protesting without any result and what action will Pakistan take if the limits are crossed? What is new on this from Pakistan’s side?

A:      Pakistan’s position is clear and repeatedly stated in this forum. These attacks violate both the agreed rules of engagement and requirements of International Law. The issue has been raised at every level, including at Summit level. I, however, do not have anything specifically new on the issue at this stage.  

Q:      When will Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission meeting be held? Who will represent Pakistan in this meeting? Have the dates for RECCA been finalized?

A:      The meeting of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission will be held in Kabul on November 25-26, 2008. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance will represent Pakistan during this meeting. Last meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission was held in June 2006 in Islamabad.

          The dates for Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) are being worked out through diplomatic channels for January 2009.

Q:      It has been reported that India has tested a surface-to-surface ballistic missile yesterday. Has Pakistan been notified about this test in advance?

A:      India has notified us in advance of the latest land launched surface-to-surface ballistic missile test. This notification was made in accordance with Agreement on Pre-notification of Flight Testing of Ballistic Missiles signed between Pakistan and India in October 2005.

Q:      An Indian military officer arrested on charges of involvement in terrorist attacks is also a suspect in masterminding the 2007 Samjhota Express blast.  Has the Indian government shared any information with Pakistan in this regard?

A:      We are aware of the media reports in question.  A mechanism is in place between Pakistan and India for information sharing in terrorist acts which also covers the Samjhota Express blast that killed several Pakistani citizens.  As Samjhota Express blast is under discussion between Pakistan and India, we hope the findings of this investigation will be shared with us as soon as possible.

Q:      It has been reported that some blasphemous photographs have been displayed at a museum in the Netherlands. What is your information, and reaction, to this report?

A:      Pakistan is seriously concerned about the growing Islamophobia in the West. Irresponsible individuals and Western organizations perpetrating targeted blasphemous acts against Muslims and other communities need to be stopped.
In December 2007 some blasphemous photographs entitled “Adam and Ewald-seven day lovers” were displayed in the Municipality Museum in The Hague.

Following a sharp reaction from the Muslim community in the Netherlands, the Museum removed the controversial photographs. Because of this reaction from the Muslim community, several other museums in the Netherlands declined to organize any exhibitions of these photographs. However, the Municipality Museum in the town of Gouda has decided to display the photographs in an exhibition which is being held from 18 October to 30 November 2008.

Pakistan condemns the actions by individuals and institutions/art galleries who seek cheap publicity at the cost of hurting the sentiments of Muslim community. We also expect that the European governments will take action in cases where freedom of express is distorted to insult other communities and hurt their feelings.

Q:      It has been reported that some Pakistani prisoners detained in India will be released on 14 November. Can you share the names of these prisoners with the media?

A:      The prisoners issue between Pakistan and India is a humanitarian issue. Pakistan has sought the release of its nationals from Indian prisons while facilitating the release of Indian prisoners in Pakistan.

A total of 29 Pakistani prisoners will be repatriated to Pakistan on 14 November via Wagah border. The list of prisoners to be released was handed over by the Indian External Affairs Ministry to Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi. Their names are as follows: