Pakistan has no program to hold talks with proscribed TTP: FO

ISLAMABAD
Foreign Office has said Pakistan has no program to hold talks with banned TTP.
“Contacts with Afghanistan on different channels are continuing on the issue of terrorists. Israeli adventurism in the region is a threat to peace in Middle East’ This was said by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at her press briefing here Thursday.
Afghan government should take action against all the groups and people including TTP who are involved in the blood shed of people of Pakistan, she added.
We have repeatedly raised the issue of use of Afghan soil against Pakistan.
Our stance on recognition of Afghan interim government is already clear, she said adding we will take any decision after taking our regional partners into confidence.
She confirmed that invitations have been extended to all heads of government of SCO member countries including the Prime Minister of India for the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
She held we have also received some confirmations. She said this meeting is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on the 15th to 16th of October.
When asked about China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Spokesperson said it is a transformational project that has contributed positively and transparently to Pakistan’s national development. She said the corridor project enjoys support and popularity in all provinces and across the political divide in Pakistan.
She clarified that Pakistan’s total public debt relating to CPEC projects is a small percentage of its total debt. Moreover, she said, the public debt obtained from China has longer maturity periods with low interest rates.
The Spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to provide full security to all Chinese nationals, projects and institutions.
The eighth session of the Pakistan-Oman Bilateral Political Consultations was held in Muscat, Oman earlier this week. The talks were co-chaired by Additional Foreign Secretary (Middle East), Ambassador Shehryar Akbar Khan and Ambassador Sheikh Ahmad bin Hashil bin Rashid Al Maskari, the Chief of GCC and Regional Neighborhood Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.
The two sides comprehensively reviewed all aspects of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Oman including political relations, trade and investment, security and defence, culture, health and consular matters. Pakistan-Oman cooperation at multilateral fora and regional and global matters of mutual concern was also discussed.
The two sides also expressed serious concerns on Israel’s war on Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people. They stressed the need for an urgent and unconditional ceasefire and reiterated the call for the creation of a viable, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State.
Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, led a parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Belarus from 19-22 August 2024, at the invitation of the Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus.
In Minsk, the Speaker held meetings with: President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives; Igor Sergeyenko; Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of Belarus; Natalya Kochanova; and the Minister for Agriculture Antoly Linevich.
The two sides reaffirmed the commitment to expanding bilateral relations and enhance parliamentary exchanges and people-to-people contacts. The two sides will continue to pursue bilateral cooperation across various sectors, including agriculture, industry, education and culture, with a particular emphasis on increasing bilateral trade.
Pakistan strongly condemns the bombing of the historic Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces . This attack is a grievous assault on a place of deep cultural and religious significance. It also constitutes a clear violation of the international law. Targeting of religious sites is expressly prohibited under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Pakistan also expresses its grave concern and unequivocal condemnation of the recent large-scale military incursion conducted by Israeli occupied forces in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
This attack is another blatant violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits indiscriminate targeting of civilians in occupied territories. Repeated Israeli transgressions and the use of disproportionate force, including airstrikes and drone attacks on densely populated areas, also contravene the principles of distinction and proportionality as enshrined in International Humanitarian Law.
We call on the UN Security Council to take urgent and concrete measures to end these blatant violations of international law; and the UN Charter; protect the Palestinian people; and hold Israel accountable for its egregious violations of international humanitarian law and the genocide and war crimes in Gaza.
The third death anniversary of the iconic Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, will be observed on 1 September 2024. He breathed his last in a long-drawn house arrest on 01 September 2021.
Notwithstanding tremendous hardships, his unwavering commitment to the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination was matchless. Syed Ali Geelani was a true voice of the Kashmiris’ struggle for self determination. We pay rich tribute to his life-long struggle for justice and freedom and honour his memory.
We also reaffirm our commitment to political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Avoiding to give reply to a question about allowing Imran Khan to proceed to London after he is elected as chancellor she said this is question of political nature. Still there are all speculations therefore, it is not appropriate to give any opinion on this question.
Pakistan has great reverence for the people of Bangladesh. Pakistan believes people of Bangladesh can resolve their problems on their own.