ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Thursday said it will review the foreign policy under new hawkish Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif amid tensions with the neighbours and chilly ties with the United States.

Addressing a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that the foreign policy could be reviewed.

He said Foreign Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif met senior officials of the ministry during which “the foreign policy objectives were reviewed and he also shared his vision of meeting the challenges and availing the opportunities in the realm of inter-state relations.”

He said the new Foreign Minister has assumed charge of the office and Adviser Sartaj Aziz had bid farewell to the ministry. There were however, reports that Aziz could eventually return as Advisor to the PM on foreign affairs.

To a question regarding possible banning of some Russian and North Korean organisations known to have been assisting North Korea in its nuclear programme, Zakaria said such report were inaccurate.

“Pakistan fully implements the UN sanctions regime and has imposed sanctions on those entities that are designated by the UN. It does not follow unilateral sanctions of other countries against a third country. The UN Security Council sanctions are imposed formally through promulgation of Statutory Regulatory Orders only,” he explained.

On US’ persistent demand to ‘do more,’ the spokesperson said US policy’s review on the region is still not over. “To say anything before it is made public would be premature. To allay misperception, Pakistan prefers to discuss through established channels of communications rather than talking through media,” he added.

Zakaria said there were media reports on various aspects of the US policy review. “Let the process be completed. It will be inappropriate to say anything based on speculations. As for Pakistan’s contributions in fighting the scourge of terrorism, which is a global phenomenon and not specific to any one country, and the sacrifices and losses that our people and our country has suffered, need no certification,” he contended.

World leaders, he said, had repeatedly recognised Pakistan’s successes and sacrifices. “Having suffered the most at the hands of terrorism, in which there is proven hand of our Eastern neighbour, India, Pakistan is engaged in counter-terrorism operations to eradicate the menace from the country completely,” the spokesperson said.

Asked how Pakistan saw the US troops surge in Afghanistan, he said on the settlement of Afghan conflict, “we believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.”

The focus of international campaign since 2001, he said, had been on a military approach. “We believe this approach has not borne fruit and thus needs a revisit. The enduring solution to the protracted conflict in Afghanistan can only be achieved through reconciliation and peace talks.  Pakistan has therefore welcomed and supported Afghan government’s peace deal with Hizb-e-Islami,” he added.

Zakaria said Pakistan believed it can serve as a model for future talks with other insurgent groups, including Taliban. “Pakistan will do all within its means to support the reconciliation process that has ownership of Afghan government. We support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” he said.

 About registration of Afghan refugees, he said, Pakistan had been registering people from Afghanistan for the past several years. “As far as hosting of the refugees is concerned, I have given a detailed response in my earlier briefings. We have respectfully hosted Afghan refugees on our soil for the past almost four decades. The number of Afghan refugees had started from 6.2 million, and there are, reportedly, still more than 3 million residing in Pakistan,” he elaborated. 

Zakaria said Pakistan had always stressed on the dignified return of Afghan refugees to their motherland. “At no stage have we compelled them to leave Pakistan. There is a specific programme under which Afghan refugees voluntarily return to Afghanistan. Between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the relationship is not restricted to the governments but the people of the two countries,” he mentioned.

He said Pakistan had suffered most at the hands of terrorism. “We have also time and again raised the issue of foreign elements behind subversive activities and terrorism within Pakistan. We have taken all-out action against terrorists without discrimination, and have gained considerable success as a result. At various political levels, many countries’ leadership have acknowledged and recognised Pakistan’s achievements in its fight against terrorism,” he said.

Zakaria said Pakistan had constantly raised concerns with Afghan authorities at various levels regarding involvement of India in fomenting unrest inside Pakistan and orchestrating terrorist activities, using Afghan soil. “In addition, the issue has also been taken up with other stakeholders in Afghanistan and raised at international forums such as UN,” he said.

Questioned about resumption of talks on revival of Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission, he said: “This is indeed an important development. Here, I would also reflect on various meetings held at various levels of political leadership of both countries to enhance cooperation.”

He said: “The meeting held between former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Astana on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, another one held between former Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Afghan National Security Advisor Hanif Atmer in London, parliamentary visits and other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of Kabul Process, have paved the way.”

In these meetings, he said: “We have talked about increasing cooperation and reactivating engagement between both countries under the existing mechanisms, and strengthening areas of future collaboration. There are also many other developments taking place. There were exchanges of media personnel from both sides. Another segment was that of exchange of views between civil society members from both countries.”

Zakaria said Indian belligerence was not only endangering regional peace and stability but is also a threat to international peace. “The volume of Indian ceasefire violations on Line of Control in the year 2017, which occurred more than 600 times and resulted in over 34 casualties of civilians, speak volumes about the magnitude of these violations. Indian occupation forces have deliberately targeted civilians across LoC.”

About Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to amend Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution, which empowers the puppet government of Indian occupied Kashmir to grant permanent resident-ship in the valley, Zakaria said the Kashmiris had been promised the right to self-determination through a free, fair and transparent plebiscite under the auspices of the UN in line with the relevant UNSC resolutions.

“This has been pending due to Indian obstinacy since the last seven decades. Now, India is attempting to pre-empt the results of any future UN Plebiscite by changing the demography of Indian occupied Kashmir through unlawful means in contravention of the UNSC Resolutions,” he added.

He said India was interfering in Pakistan and other neighbouring countries. “The Indian belligerent posture towards its neighbours has a direct bearing on regional peace and security and will also impact international peace and security. As for Pakistan’s policy in the region, the government pursues a policy of peaceful neighbourhood,” he maintained.

He said Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India project known as TAPI was not just a gas pipeline project, “but we view it in regional connectivity paradigm in which we see Pakistan as a trade and transit corridor by virtue of our geographic location in the region at the confluence of South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and Western China. The project envisaged to encompass besides the gas pipeline, roads, electricity transmission and fibre optic lines, as well as economic zones, connecting Pakistan with Turkmenistan.”

The spokesperson said many of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects were in implementation phase while extensive planning was also under way on all others.

On the diplomatic front, he said National Assembly Speaker of Republic of Korea Chung Sye-Kyun paid a fruitful visit this week and, inter alia, held meeting with the foreign minister. He expressed keen interest in Korean investments in Pakistan and deepening economic cooperation.

He condemned the human rights situation in occupied Kashmir, saying: “we have watched the continuous condemnable acts committed by Indian occupation forces, that is; daily killing of innocent Kashmiris.”

Zakaria did not comment on banned Jamaatud Dawa’s announcement to launch a new political wing, to which US and India had expressed concerns.