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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 04/09/2006

RECORD OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE FOREIGN OFFICE SPOKESPERSON ON 04 SEPTEMBER, 2006

OPENING STATEMENT

As you are already aware eleven Pakistanis were killed in Iraq . I have some further details about this tragic incident. The total number of Pakistani Zaireen was twenty six Pakistanis. Fourteen women and one child survived. Presently, they are lodged in Hotel Al-Noor-al-Sajjad in Karbala and are being looked after by the local Ulema. Mr. Askari Zaidi is the person in charge. We have already issued his telephone number. Our Embassy in Jordan is in contact with them and is making arrangements for return to Pakistan via Dubai on 11 September. I have the names of the survivors which would be put on the website.

QUESTION/ANSWER SESSION

Asked what steps the Government was taking to stop destabilizing activities by the governments of Afghanistan and India in Baluchistan especially through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the spokesperson said:

I do not think we have ever said that the Government of Afghanistan is involved. I believe you are referring to Governor Baluchistan's recent press conference. We have said that the Afghan territory was being used. As for the steps, it is a long and complicated border; naturally it is not easy to seal it completely. But our authorities are very much aware of the problem and I am sure they are taking precautionary measures.

Asked to confirm the news reports about the likelihood of a meeting between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the margins of the forthcoming NAM Summit meeting in Havana and who initiated the request for this meeting, the spokesperson said:

I see that the media has already confirmed the meeting. The President will attend the NAM Summit in Havana . We believe that the Indian Prime Minister will also be there. Since both leaders will be there, it has become possible that their meeting take place. This not a question of a request by this side or that side, it will be by mutual agreement.

When her attention was drawn to the fact that an American newspaper had published a commentary on Balochistan situation thereby interfering in Pakistan 's domestic affairs, the spokesperson said:

Newspapers tend to discuss internal situations of various. Their analyses are not necessarily correct and may be way off the mark. I do not have to comment on what any particular newspaper writes.

Asked about the agenda of the meeting between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that was likely to take place on the margins of the NAM Summit in Havana and observation that the Indian media has already published an agenda, the spokesperson said:

Since the media is now in the business of setting the agenda for the meeting, you are also at liberty to suggest subjects for discussion. If this meeting takes place, obviously the leaders will talk about the peace process and that includes everything.

Asked about the purpose of the forthcoming visit to Afghanistan by the President of Pakistan, and whether the agenda also included the issue of interference in Pakistan by Afghanistan , the spokesperson said:

The President's visit is on the cards. You may recall that President Karzai had called President Musharraf and had invited him to visit Kabul . President Karzai was very keen that this visit takes place at the earliest. Currently, arrangements are being made. I cannot talk about the exact date of the President's visit to Kabul . The purpose of the visit is to further strengthen the bilateral relations.

You referred to interference the Afghan Government. I have already clarified that we have never said that the Afghan Government is involved in any destabilizing activity inside Pakistan .

In response to a question regarding the Pakistanis stranded and killed in Iraq , whether they had valid Iraqi visas and what steps the Government had taken to caution the prospective travelers to Iraq , the spokesperson said:

They might have obtained visas, I am not aware of that. But they traveled to Iraq from Syria . We understand that a travel agent in Syria arranged the visit. After earlier incidents in which some Pakistanis were abducted and killed, we had advised our citizens to avoid traveling to Iraq even for work purposes. Many Pakistanis go to Iraq while working as drivers or suppliers for various companies operating in Iraq out of Kuwait . We have been cautioning them against going to Iraq . We have reiterated our earlier advice that given the security situation in Iraq , Pakistanis should avoid traveling to Iraq for whatever purpose.

Responding to a question about Rashid Rauf's case, particularly with reference to the details released by the British High Commission that Rashid Rauf's extradition had been sought not in connection with the London plot but an earlier murder charge and that in the absence of extradition treaty how would Pakistan hand over Rashid Rauf, the spokesperson said:

I do not know what details the British High Commission gave out. I can confirm that an extradition request has been received. I would not discuss the grounds on which the extradition has been sought. If the British High Commission wants to release the details and nature of extradition request, that is up to them. At the moment I can just confirm it to you that we have received the extradition request, and it is being processed by our Ministry of Interior. We have to complete the procedure before we can respond to that request.

We do not have any extradition treaty with the British Government. An extradition treaty is being negotiated. One or two elements are still to be negotiated. Obviously, once we have an extradition treaty, the procedure of extraditing a criminal from Pakistan to UK or from UK to Pakistan would be streamlined. At the moment, our cooperation is under various frameworks such as Interpol, Joint Judicial Cooperation Working Group and other UN related obligations. But I am not in the position to discuss the details of this particular case. May be the Ministry of Interior would be able to give you more details.

Asked whether Pakistan being the member of the Maritime International Force would stop an Iranian consignment in the High Seas in case it was carrying goods and material from North Korea , the spokesperson said:

It is a hypothetical situation. I would not comment on a hypothetical situation. We have joined this Maritime initiative to basically counter terrorism and interdict terrorists and not consignments from one country to another.

Asked about Pakistan 's current position on sending troops to Lebanon , the spokesperson said:

Our position remains the same. Last week also, it was discussed. There is no decision at the moment to send troops to Lebanon .

Asked about Pakistan 's position on recognizing the Turkish Northern Republic of Cyprus (TNRC) in view of the visit by the President of TRNC, the spokesperson said:

Mr. Mehmet Ali Talat is visiting Pakistan for two days. This is not an official visit. We do not recognize TNRC. There is no change in our position.

Asked, with reference to her response to an earlier question, whether the objective of President Musharraf's forthcoming visit to Kabul was to make the President's scheduled visit to the US smooth, the spokesperson said:

The President's visit to Afghanistan has nothing to do with visit to the US . I have already shared with the background of this visit. It is taking place at the initiative and invitation of President Karzai. I may also add that good and strong relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are too important for both the countries to be fostered or strengthened for the sake of any third party. The two countries have a very unique relationship. It is in our mutual interest to have very strong, very good and very enduring relationship. Both countries are working in that direction.

Asked about the initiatives between Pakistan and India in order to restore the stalled peace process, the spokesperson said:

Both Pakistan and India have maintained that the peace process has not been derailed. After their meeting in Dhaka , the two Foreign Secretaries had reiterated that the peace process would go on, and various steps and measures taken under the rubric of the peace process would not be frozen. Both countries also realize that the peace process is in their interest.

Asked to give an update on Baghlihar and Kishanganga issues, the spokesperson said:

The neutral expert on Baghlihar is continuing the process. He is to hold another meeting soon after which he would give his judgment. It could happen by the end of the year.

When her comments were sought on the recent statement by the Indian Prime Minister that as long as Pakistan did not stop the so-called cross border terrorism, there was no use resuming the peace process, the spokesperson said:

This allegation has been repeatedly ad-nauseam and we have responded to it. You know the allegations and you know our response. These allegations are baseless. India has provided absolutely no evidence to substantiate its allegations of links between any elements in Pakistan with the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. In the absence of that these allegations are baseless. We do not support terrorism. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have been the victims of terrorism ourselves, and our record in fighting terrorism, in collaboration with the international community, speaks for itself.