(2013-01-04) [This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated] There are no opening remarks to make. But I look forward to your questions. Question Yesterday Mulla Nazir has been killed in a Drone Attack. Do you think Pakistan considers it a set back? Answer We have seen reports about his killing. However, I am not in a position to verify the veracity of these reports. As far as the drone attacks are concerned, our position on drone attacks is very clear, we strongly condemn these attacks. We find them totally unacceptable, unproductive and illegal. They are a violation of our territorial integrity. Question We have been hearing about these drone attacks for the past four/five years. There came forward a Petition that was filed by New York Times on drone attacks but Obama government has failed to do anything remarkable on this. Will we take drone attacks’ issue to the ICJ, to the UN or we’ll handle this in some other way? Answer This has been a consistent topic of discussions between the two sides. We have taken up this issue with the US authorities at every level. They also understand our concerns, and we are quite hopeful that we will be able to resolve this issue bilaterally. Question 1) In one of the resolutions of the Parliament, it was agreed that no weapons will be transported through Pakistan to Afghan soil, there is a news report that NATO is transporting its weapons through Pakistan to Afghan soil. 2) The Ministry on Human Rights was going to the UN in connection with Drone attacks. Have they contacted you yet? Answer I will have to check this with our concerned division. However, we are in touch with all concerned organizations whether in Geneva or in the UN and we keep briefing them about our position on drone attacks. Regarding your question about transporting NATO weaponry through Pakistan, I’ll have to check the veracity of the report you are referring to and get back to you. Question Pakistan announced grant of Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to India and has set a deadline of 31st December. Yesterday Federal Cabinet again discussed this issue. When are we formally granting MFN status to India? Answer I have been given to understand that the Cabinet did discuss the establishing of normal trade relations with India and that it had reiterated its earlier decision in this regard. I understand instructions were also given to the concerned authorities to take necessary steps to implement the cabinet’s decision. Question Is President Asif Zardari going to India to watch the upcoming third ODI cricket match, and is there any opportunity to extend invitation to Pakistan? Answer I’m not aware of any such invitation. Question 1) Pakistan and Afghanistan had planned an Ulema conference in Kabul in the month of January. I have spoken with a few Afghan officials and they say they haven’t received names of the joint commission from Pakistan. Wasn’t it possible to conduct the conference in Kabul in January month and 2) President Karzai is visiting Islamabad. What kind of issues would the government discuss? Answer We are still hopeful that we’ll be able to have this Ulema conference in January, and I understand that concerned people are in touch with the Afghan authorities to finalize the dates and composition of the delegation from Pakistan. Regarding President Karzai’s visit to Pakistan, the invitation is there but no dates have been finalized yet. Question The US President has signed a bill which will lead to further toughen sanctions on Iran. Your comments on this? Answer Our position is that these sanctions really don’t work. And we hope that all issues pertaining to Iran and its nuclear program will be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means. Question Your input is requested on the Foreign Minister’s recent visit to the KSA? What issues of bilateral significance were discussed, and were there any other issues of common interest? Answer The Foreign Minister had a very good visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As I informed you during my last briefing, she visited Saudi Arabia on the invitation of Prince Saud al Faisal, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia. She had a very good meeting with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz and also had a detailed meeting with Prince Saud al Faisal. Pakistan enjoys excellent brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia. The two leaders reviewed the whole gambit of bilateral relations. They underscored the need to institutionalize these relations to further expand and diversify them. They also exchanged views on some regional issues of mutual interest, including Afghanistan and Syria and agreed to work closely for the peace and stability of these countries. It was a very productive visit. The two sides also shared some new proposals as to how we could take this relationship to even higher level. Question Regarding the FM’s visit to the KSA, there are reports from the Gulf Media that the KSA has given reassurances regarding Afghan reconciliation process to show its influence and assist in the process. Pakistan has also discussed Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan issue and some mechanisms evolving to bring them at the negotiation table using the Deobandi factor. What would be the actual Foreign Policy to react on the involvement of the two major Muslim countries in Pakistan’s internal affairs i.e. the KSA and Iran? In the last cabinet meeting, it was taken up and the Foreign Minister had already briefed on this issue, because if there were any skirmishes from the Indian border, a reaction came straight from Foreign Office and the military spokesperson but if anything happens from the Iranian border, what is our stance on that? What is the exact foreign policy on reacting on the involvement of these two countries? Answer Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Iran, and it also enjoys excellent and longstanding relations with the KSA. The perception that you are alluding to is totally misplaced. The discussions held between the Foreign Minister and the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia were in the context of an overall threat perception that we are facing today because of terrorism and extremism. Both countries find terrorism as a common threat. Similarly, both Pakistan and KSA attach a lot of importance to peace and stability in Afghanistan, as they are convinced that peace and stability in Afghanistan is necessary for peace and stability in the region. Question We hear that over 50 Pakistanis are stuck in Libya’s “Al Sabah”. They are facing a terrible situation for over a week now. One Pakistani has broken his leg and the other has been reported to have internal bleeding. We tried to contact Pakistan’s embassy in Libya but weren’t successful. They say that the embassy is totally non-cooperative rather the ambassador has threatened them after GEO’s report came on television. Please comment. Answer If you could share the report with us, we’ll be more than happy to send it to our Ambassador in Libya and seek his comments. However, we also need to understand that our embassy in Libya is working in an environment of pressure and sever limitations. It is not an ideal situation there. We do understand your concerns but we also know the limitations of the Embassy. We’ll convey your concerns to our Ambassador and ask him to look into this issue. Question There are some reports that the UK government has given Malala’s father a diplomatic assignment. Also, Malala is going to undergo another surgery, can you share details on them. Also, has an appointment letter been received? Answer He has been offered the job of an education attaché in the UK, it’s basically to facilitate the treatment that Malala is going through. Yes, an appointment letter has been issued. Question I really feel proud of the generosity of Pakistan. In the dark and foggy night, when you were travelling to the KSA, we received a statement from your side that Pakistan has released a former Governor, a Minister, a Deputy Minister and the Body Guard of Mullah Umar. How many of them were in Pakistan? Under what charges were they detained here and were released later. Who was feeding them, and where were they detained? Answer For all these details, I’ll refer you to the Ministry of Interior. Question Can you confirm are they twenty six, and where are they, in Afghanistan, in the KSA or Berlin? Answer I can confirm that we have released twenty six prisoners.