Pakistan terms US-India statement 'unwarranted, misleading'
Pakistan
Pakistan pays heavy price in Afghan war by becoming ally of US: Asif
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – India habitually used terrorism bogey to deflect attention from its brutal repression of Kashmiri people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and maltreatment of its minorities, said Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Friday.
Responding to media queries regarding the US-India joint statement, the foreign office spokesperson said: “We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the ‘Joint Statement from the United States and India’, issued on 22 June 2023, as unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The reference is contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones. We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan’s close counter terrorism cooperation with the US.”
She said, “Pakistan has rendered unmatched sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. In laying down their lives, our law enforcement agencies and armed forces have set an example. People of Pakistan are the real heroes in this fight.”
“The international community has time and again recognized Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. It has long concluded that terrorism can be defeated through concerted and cooperative actions. Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the Joint Statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism. The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations,” she continued.
“In addition to being a state-sponsor of terrorism, India habitually uses terrorism bogey to deflect attention from its brutal repression of Kashmiri people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and maltreatment of its minorities. It is thus completely ill-placed to caste any aspersions on Pakistan and its fight against terrorism.”
The spokesperson said, “Ironically, the joint statement fails to address the key sources of tension and instability in the region and to take cognizance of the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). This is tantamount to abdication of international responsibility.”
Pakistan was also deeply concerned over the planned transfer of advanced military technologies to India, she noted adding such steps were accentuating military imbalance in the region and undermining strategic stability.
“They remain unhelpful in achieving the objective of a durable peace in South Asia. We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing one-sided positions,” the statement concluded.
Asif says Pakistan paying high price in terms of its relations with US
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday said he was extremely annoyed over the inclusion of Pakistan in the joint statement issued after the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The statement, which was made public on Thursday, emphasised both leaders' joint need on Islamabad to act swiftly to prevent the use of Pakistani soil for terrorist activity.
The minister, while speaking in the National Assembly, stated that as a result of being a frontline state in both of the Afghan wars, Pakistan was currently paying a high price in terms of its relations with the United States.
In fact, he noted that during Narendra Modi's time as Gujarat's chief minister, thousands of Muslims were killed and raped, and the US at the time had banned Narendra Modi from receiving a visa in retaliation for those atrocities.
The minister also took to Twitter to share his thoughts and reminded the world that Modi oversaw the killing of Muslims in Gujarat.
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) June 23, 2023
“The Indian prime minister continues to target minorities while in Jammu and Kashmir, which India has illegally seized, there is an unannounced curfew, and the locals are subject to several limitations that are a flagrant violation of their human rights,” said the Defence Minister.
He claimed that Pakistan became a haven for terrorism because the country supported the US as an ally in the fight against terrorism while grieving that Pakistan's sacrifices had gone unrecognised.
