(2016-06-23) [This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.] The Floor is open for Questions Question Has the last meeting resulted in convergence of views between Pakistan and Afghanistan on border-management? (Khawaja Nayar Iqbal - Kashmir Post) Supplementary Question Will Pakistan be sending a delegation to Afghanistan reciprocally after the visit of the recent Afghan delegation? Answer The Afghan delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, visited Pakistan on the invitation of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sartaj Aziz. The purpose of the visit was to discuss issues related to border management so as to avoid recurrence of incident such as the unfortunate Torkham incident. It was realized that there should be no communication gap on issues related to the border. Regarding the question of a reciprocal visit by Pakistan, both sides agreed to have a mechanism. It was also agreed that both sides will brief their respective leadership and propose their meeting on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Tashkent to discuss the border management issues, among other things. The process of consultative mechanism may lead to two-way exchanges. Our position is very clear on this- that structures being built in Torkham and elsewhere are being built on Pakistani territory. Unregulated cross-border movements provide opportunity for infiltration of terrorists and militants. Border management is a key element of Pakistan's policy of combating terrorism and addressing the issue of militancy. We are determined to put in place effective border control on border crossings. The cooperation of Afghan Government can play an important role in achieving our shared objective of promoting lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. Question The Head of UNHCR recently visited Pakistan. What was the outcome of his meetings here as the deadline for repatriation of Afghan refugees is coming close? (Naveed Akbar - Daily Dunya Newspaper) Answer There are still about three million Afghans in Pakistan. Besides having a bearing on the economy, some of the refugee camps have become a security risk as terrorists and militants use the camps as hideouts. It is important that the Afghan Government takes steps for early return of the refugees to their homeland. A pull-factor from Afghanistan will help in repatriation and integration of the returnees. Donors should continue external assistance for hosting such high number of refugees and their return to Afghanistan. Regarding the deadline that you have mentioned, I am not aware. Question On his return to Afghanistan, the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister again spoke against Pakistan and said that Pakistan was building a gate on Afghan territory. So what is the truth here? My second question relates to NSG. What efforts Pakistan has done to block India's entry in the NSG? (Mateen Haider - Dawn News) Answer I have seen the Afghanistan Foreign Ministry statement in this regard, but I have not seen the statement made by the Deputy Foreign Minister. When he was here, he expressed his delight on being in Pakistan for his meeting, and to discuss border management issues with Pakistan. As I said earlier, the meeting was held to discuss border management related issues, remove communication gaps and misunderstandings. Both sides agreed to evolving a mechanism, and to brief their leadership. As I told you earlier, there is a possibility of the top leadership meeting on the sidelines of the SCO meeting during which, among all other issues, effective border management would also be discussed. As to your second question, we have been making efforts to muster support of NSG members for our own membership. It has been our consistent position that the question of NSG membership for non-NPT states must be dealt with in accordance with a single, uniform, non-discriminatory and fair criteria. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for NSG to consider the Indian and Pakistani applications simultaneously and in an even-handed manner. The applications of Pakistan and India cannot be considered in isolation from the goal of maintaining strategic stability in South Asia. Furthermore, Pakistan's NSG membership is in the interest of nuclear trading countries as it will further promote NSG non-proliferation objectives by the inclusion of a state with nuclear supply capabilities and its adherence to NSG Guidelines. Question In a speech to the Atlantic Council, Mr. Richard Olson, US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan said "I sometime feel that Pakistani concerns over Indian role in Afghanistan are over estimated." Do you think that Pakistan over reacts to developments between India and Afghanistan? My second question is that Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a recent briefing mentioned the good body language that exists between the two Prime Ministers. Why is there duplicity in the Indian policy? On one side there is a mention of this "warmth and ease" of relationship, and on the other hand, human rights violation continue unabated in Indian occupied Kashmir and Prime Minister Modi did not leave any opportunity to malign Pakistan during his recent visit to the United States. What is your opinion in this regard? (Shaukat Paracha - Aaj TV) Answer I think we need to realize that 'feeling' is one thing and the 'reality' on ground is another. The ground reality is that we have arrested Kulbhusan Yadav, which is a solid proof of Indian state involvement in terrorism in Pakistan as well as in terror financing. Mr. Yadav has made public confessions in this regard. Let me take you back to 2013 when Chuck Hagel, former US Defence Secretary, had mentioned that India finances instability in Pakistan. Then I will take you further back to 2009 when General Stanley A. McCrystal also referred to this fact that India was causing and financing instability in Pakistan. These are realities! I leave it to you to decide how should we react in such a situation! As regards relations with neighbours, we are guided by the Prime Minister's vision of good neighbourly relations, including with India. We want to resolve all issues with India through dialogue, including the Kashmir dispute, which is the best way. Pakistan is deeply concerned over the human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. You would be aware of the position highlighted by our representative at Human Rights Council, recently. We have raised this issue earlier with the Indian side, as well as, with the international community. The Jammu and Kashmir dispute is an important segment of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. Question Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for three decades. We still see hostility from Afghan government towards Pakistan. There is a prevalent feeling that the Afghanistan government is playing into the hands of Pakistan's enemies and that the Afghan government must dispel these feelings of the Pakistani people. Your comments. Recently, Mr. Richard Olson stated that India and Iran also needed to be part of the QCG process. Has Pakistan been approached officially in this regard? (Fakhar-ur-Rahman - Turkish News Agency/Such TV) Answer Regarding your first question, I will restrict my response to the refugees. We have three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan and I have already answered a question regarding the need for their repatriation. Regarding QCG, I have seen that statement-if you go into the details - the reference is more generalized and does not specifically relate to QCG. He also underlined the importance of Pakistan's role in peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan as well as the importance of the QCG process. I will again remind you that QCG has four members and three of them are facilitators with shared responsibility to bring Taliban/other groups to the negotiating table. QCG is vitally important for us purely because we want to see sustainable peace in Afghanistan and dialogue is the only viable option. As you know there are other initiatives taking place in parallel to QCG, and some of the countries you mentioned are part of those initiatives. Question Reportedly, Afghanistan intelligence has planned to increase its offensive operations at Pak-Afghan border, using TTP groups to engage Pakistan in an aggressive covert warfare to fail the border management arrangement. What steps Pakistani government is taking to overcome this challenge? (Sheeba Mahar - Daily SAMAA) Answer We have taken all necessary steps to ensure smooth implementation of the border management system. We have said this time and again that border management is a central plank of our counter terrorism drive, especially cross border infiltration which is a significant cause of terrorism in Pakistan. It is in this context that we have taken steps towards border management and we are seeking the cooperation of the Afghan government in this regard. We hope it will lead to improvement in the situation. Question Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sartaj Aziz, recently said that Pakistan cannot fight Afghanistan's war on its soil. Has this been clearly conveyed to the Afghan side and the US who want us to kill all Taliban on both sides of the border? Do the US and Afghan governments realize that the current government in Afghanistan is not representative and that without Pashtun representation, who are in a majority, peace cannot be possible. Your comments. (Amjad Ali - PTV) Answer It is Afghanistan's internal matter. I should not comment on it. We believe that a politically negotiated settlement through an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process is the only viable option for bringing lasting peace to Afghanistan. Question This relates to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, where Pakistani workers are having difficulty. This related to nonpayment of salary and other problems. What has our embassy done in this regard? (Kashan Kamal - News 7) Answer We have already issued a press release in this regard which is available on our website. The Embassy of Pakistan in Riyadh is seized of the situation. A couple of thousand people of various nationalities, including Pakistanis, are facing problems on account of nonpayment of monthly salaries due to financial problems of their employer, M/s. Saad Contracting and Construction Company. The Embassy has been in touch with Pakistanis, facing the issue, and also the company administration. On 18 May, the Embassy representative, who deals with legal matters, visited the company and met our expatriates, who were facing the issue of nonpayment. The representative also met the company officials who assured that they are trying to overcome their problems and intend to clear their employees' dues as soon as possible. The Embassy also brought the matter to the attention of the Saudi Foreign Office. Our Mission is closely pursuing the matter with the view to alleviate the difficulties being faced by our expatriates at the earliest possible. Question As you pointed out NSG meeting is going on, I just want to inquire that there are reports that Indian Foreign Secretary is there to push for India's membership. Who is representing Pakistan for the same purpose? (Shabbier Ahmed Waghra - PTV World) Answer When you say representing, it means you are assuming that you are part of the NSG process. We are not and neither is India. You see, making diplomatic efforts is a process and it can be done in many ways. Varied approaches are used to muster support. Efforts can be made without sitting inside the meeting. Yes Pakistan is constantly making efforts to muster support. I must also tell you that Pakistan has all the credentials to be a part of the NSG. Our position has been reiterated time and again and you will also find it on our website. We have also issued a press release after our meeting with the American delegation which was led by Ms. Gottemoeller. The US delegation recognized Pakistan's significant efforts to harmonize its strategic trade controls with those of NSG's. Question My question is regarding the QCG, what is the status of QCG efforts to bring Taliban on the negotiation table? Do you think that inclusion of more members in the group will push this process further? (Kamran Haider-Bloomburg) Answer I think to your second part I have already responded. As regards first part of your question, QCG is a six and half month old process. So far, we have held five meetings. After the fifth meeting, there has been a major incident whereby the leader of the group, who QCG members were trying to bring to the negotiation table, was killed. I believe that now it might take some time to bring the parties to peace process. Efforts are still on and the efforts are not being made by just one country; efforts are being made by the other three members as well. All the four members in their respective domains have the influence over warring factions. They are making efforts to bring these warring groups to the negotiation table. Question In an article "Making the Most of CPEC " by Muhammad Amir Rana published in daily Dawn on 19th June 2016, he wrote that China is not happy due to the lack of consensus on CPEC in Pakistan. Kindly explain what steps are being taken to remove their concerns and reservations? Secondly, whether India is a hurdle in connecting CPEC with the Baltistan division? (Fida Hussain-Radio News Network) Answer First of all, you know that we don't comment on media reports. CPEC is moving forward according to its schedule. Projects are being completed according to their timelines. And there are no communication gap and "ups and downs" in this regard. CPEC is not only important for China, it is also very important for Pakistan. Both sides are jointly working on it- projects are being launched on time and all participants are contributing in accordance with the agreed timeline. As regards the connectivity of CPEC, its routes are already determined. It is a development project and it will not only benefit China and Pakistan, but it will be beneficial for the people of the entire region. Thus, it is an economic and developmental project and no one should have any objection to it. Question In a briefing of Indian Ministry of External Affairs, it was very clearly stated that India is ready for talks with Pakistan without the involvement of any third country and they have given three pre-conditions in this regard. What is the stance of Pakistan on it? (Ashgar Ali Mubarak-Daily Mail) Answer I have not seen statement you are referring to, therefore, I cannot comment on it. Our position is very clear that dialogue is the best way to resolve all problems and when dialogue starts, all the issues will be discussed. We have not attached any pre-conditions to it and we also expect that India will not attach any pre-conditions too. I recall that on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Meeting, both sides had agreed that no incident should have any bearing on dialogue and I think this statement is still valid. Question With reference to the recent statement by the Spokesperson of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I just want to know whether the applications of Pakistan and India would be part of the NSG meeting's agenda tomorrow? (Ali Husnain - Business Recorder) Answer The statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson is self-explanatory. It is not for Pakistan to pre-judge the outcome of NSG's Seoul Plenary. Several NSG countries look upon NPT as the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. These countries want detailed discussions within NSG to first agree upon criteria for admission of non-NPT countries to the Group with a view to preserving the non-proliferation norms. Pakistan, on the other hand, believes that the reality of non-NPT nuclear states has to be accommodated. Mainstreaming of non-NPT nuclear states will strengthen the non-proliferation regime by binding these countries to NSG principles and guidelines. Pakistan will continue to highlight its strong credentials and pursue NSG membership based on non-discriminatory and objective criteria. We hope that all those countries which would like to preserve the non-proliferation principles and credibility of NSG will eventually be able to strike a balance between adherence to ideals on the one hand and the need to realistically address the realities on ground. Question Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj maintains that the 'warmth and ease" in the relationship between Indian Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart can help resolve complex issues between the two neighbours. She also claimed that Pakistan has not refused to allow a NIA team to visit Pakistan to probe the Pathankot airbase attack case and has just sought more time. She asserts that Secretary level talks between the two countries had not been called off. What is Pakistan's position in this regard? (Mona Khan - Geo News) Answer I have seen the media reports regarding her remarks. We have repeatedly highlighted the imperative of a sustained and result-oriented dialogue on all issues including the dispute of Kashmir. The Indian Foreign Secretary was scheduled to visit Pakistan by mid-January but he did not, on the pretext of the Pathankot incident. The visit is overdue. We have not yet received new dates from the Indian side. After the Pathankot incident, Pakistan extended sincere cooperation. During JIT visit whatever intelligence and information the Indian side shared that is being examined. Question Reportedly in Kenya and Tanzania a large number of Pakistanis are incarcerated on drug related charges. Do we have an exact number and what is the government of Pakistan doing to help such Pakistanis? This question was sent by Mr.Waqas Rafique. Answer Kenya: According to our Mission in Nairobi, at present there are 07 Pakistanis imprisoned in Kenyan jails on charges of drug trafficking. Six Pakistani nationals are detained in Mobasa prison since July 2014 and a female is imprisoned in Nairobi since 2011. One of our officers frequently visit the jails to enquire about their living condition and health. The Ministry is considering providing funds to provide legal assistance to these prisoners, including payment to lawyers, fines and cost of repatriation on release from detention. Tanzania: According to our Mission in Tanzania, at present there are 09 Pakistanis imprisoned in Tanzanian jails on charges of drug trafficking.