(2013-10-31) [This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated] There are no opening remarks. The floor is open for questions. Question My question is regarding the whereabouts of Mullah Baradar, why is it so that Pakistan is cheating or is being cheated upon on this issue? This issue was also discussed in the tripartite dialogue. What are your comments? Answer Pakistan has released Mullah Baradar to facilitate peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. He is free to meet and contact anyone to advance the peace process. Question There are media reports that a delegation from Afghanistan will come to Pakistan to meet Mullah Baradar and Pakistan will facilitate this meeting. What are your comments? Secondly, Iranian Minister has said that Iran will not be able to complete the project of IP pipeline with Pakistan. Has Pakistani authorities heard anything from Iranian side on this matter? Answer As for the Afghan High Peace delegation, we have so far received no confirmation of its visit to Pakistan. As for your second question, given the acute energy requirements of Pakistan, the government remains committed to all options for addressing our energy needs, including the IP pipeline project. Further details can be had from Ministry of Petroleum. Question Iran says that they are not going to supply the gas to Pakistan. Are you going to re-negotiate the project? Secondly, Prime Minister has reiterated the need for third party intervention to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Is this going to be the line that Pakistan will follow? Thirdly, apart from the Prime Minister’s address in the UN General Assembly, as per Peshawar High Court ruling, Pakistan has to file a case with the UN Security Council against drone strikes. Is Pakistan going to do that? Answer I have already answered the first question regarding IP pipeline. As for your second question, our position has been very clear and consistent. Pakistan has been committed to the bilateral dialogue process with India to address all outstanding issues. We hope and expect that the Indian side will engage with us in a meaningful dialogue to resolve outstanding issues. However, Pakistan has also always remained open to the third party mediation, especially on Kashmir dispute, on which there are outstanding resolutions of the UN Security Council. On drone strikes, our position has been very clear. The government has already evolved a national consensus on this matter and is perusing a strategy whereby this matter is being taken up with the US bilaterally as well as being raised at the international fora. Question Is Mr. Sartaj Aziz traveling to India to participate in Asia-Europe meeting? Is there any meeting planned with the Indian External Affairs Minister? Answer Yes he is traveling to India to participate in Asia-Europe meeting on 10-11 November 2013. I do not have the details of the meetings being arranged for him. Question US Congressman, Alan Grayson has stated that if Pakistan wants the drone strikes could be stopped tomorrow and Pakistan Air Force is quite capable of downing these drones. What are your comments? Answer Everyone is entitled to his opinion. The Government of Pakistan is pursuing a strategy on the issue of drone strikes based on the consensus achieved within the country. Question Is there any visit of the Prime Minister being planned for Kabul? Secondly, on the sidelines of World Islamic Economic Forum, Prime Minister has said that Pakistan and India should come together. He also said that a lot of resources and time have been wasted in developing the militaries and now the people of the two countries should become the focus. Has anything concrete been planned between Pakistan and India? Answer I do not have any information on the visit of Prime Minister to Kabul. As for Prime Minister’s statement on peace with India, I think it is well known that the present leadership is keen to secure peaceful neighborhood around Pakistan and that includes peaceful and good neighborly relations with India, so that our energies can be spent for the well being of the people of our region. Question Yesterday the Defense Ministry quoted that the civilian death toll due to the drone strikes is far less than what Foreign Ministry told the UN Rapporteur, Ben Emerson. What exactly is the death toll in drone strikes? Answer I have seen those reports. There are different assessments about the numbers. We are in touch with Ministry of Defense to get full details. Question Is Mullah Baradar allowed to travel outside Pakistan? Is he staying in Pakistan at his own will or he has been forced to stay here? Answer He is free to meet and contact anyone to advance the peace and reconciliation process. He is in Pakistan. Question Yesterday FBR had a statement before the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the missing NATO containers. The US Ambassador in a letter to FBR has stated that no NATO containers have been missing. Has the US Ambassador taken the Foreign Office in confidence before writing a letter to FBR? What is the position of Foreign Office on this matter? Answer I do not have information on this. I need to check with my concerned colleagues and the FBR. Question Would you like to update us on the status of Dr. Shakeel Afridi. There are also some reports in the media that Mr. Sartaj Aziz was not aware of the charges on account of which Dr. Shakeel Afridi has been arrested. What are his charges clearly? Secondly, what are the hopes that Dr. Afia Siddiqui will be released even when she is a US national? Answer As for your first question, this subject has been talked about a lot in the media and also in the press briefings. Dr. Afridi is going through a legal process in the FATA Tribunal and only that legal process will determine his fate. On Dr. Afia Siddiqui, Pakistan has extended all possible facilitation during the trial process. Now the focus is on finding an arrangement for her repatriation as a prisoner under some transfer of offenders arrangement, for which the option of Council of Europe Convention is being explored. We are working on this option. Question Did the DG MOs meet? Could you please confirm because they have been reports that they have met and now there will be peace along the LoC? Answer Pakistan is fully committed to implementing the decision of the two Prime Ministers that the DG MOs should meet to resolve the issue of ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary. DG MOs are already in touch through hotline contact. I understand they discussed the matter on 25th and 29th October and concurred to normalize the situation along the LoC and the Working Boundary. A sectoral flag meeting was held between Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force along Working Boundary on 29th October and both sides agreed to observe ceasefire and resolve issues through local level flag meetings. Question As per an Arabic newspaper, the US has tapped Pakistani phone calls. What is your point of view on this? Answer We had taken up this matter with the US authorities. We are in touch with them to address this matter. Question Yesterday the Ministry of Defense has presented a report in the Parliament regarding the drone strikes causalities. This report has given a sense that the drone strikes are not counter-productive and are very successful. As per the statement of the US congress man, it also seems that there is a behind the scene arrangement between the US and Pakistan on drone strikes. What are your comments? Secondly, Saudization policy is going to be implemented from 4th November 2013. What is the current status of the Pakistani citizens who are left behind after the registration process? How many Pakistanis are going to be deported and what will be the next step of the Foreign Office? Answer On the reports attributed to the Ministry of Defense, I have already answered the question. Our position on the drone strikes is very clear. We are convinced that drone strikes are counter-productive. As for your second question, you are well aware of the tremendous efforts made by Pakistani Embassy and the Consulates in Saudi Arabia to help and ensure that Pakistanis do not suffer from this policy. We had positive results of these efforts. A lot of details is available on the website of our Embassy in Riyadh. Our Embassy is working hard to have as many Pakistanis regularize their stay in the Kingdom as possible so that the impact is minimum. Question If the Government of Pakistan is going to facilitate the meeting between Afghan High Peace Council and Mullah Baradar, it shows that he is still under the custody of Pakistan. What are your comments? Answer He is free to meet and contact anyone to advance the peace and reconciliation process. Question Perhaps it was the only trilateral after which no joint statement was issued. Only a short statement was issued by the British Prime Minister’s office. Were there any differences? Please share some details with us? Answer It was agreed between the three governments that there will be no joint statement and that the office of British Prime Minister will issue a press statement. Question Does Pakistani government has any proof of the tapping of phone calls by the US or it came to know only through the media reports? Has Pakistan protested with the US? Answer We had taken up this matter with the US authorities in June this year. We are in touch with them to address this matter. Question Apart from what Pakistan has done on the issue of tapping of phone calls and spying done by the US, how does Pakistan see this act of the US as a whole? Answer Any act which impinges on the sovereignty of any country and privacy of citizens is a matter of concern. We have taken up this matter with the US and are trying to resolve this matter. ******************