(2014-09-04) [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 A number of countries have commented on the recent events in Pakistan. There have been statements coming out of the two Marches, accusing the United States of interfering in Pakistan’s internal politics when the State Department gave its reaction. We have also been giving statements on situations in other countries like Libya and Syria, stating that they were their internal matters. In this context, how would you comment on the accusations especially by Mr. Imran Khan? Answer Mostly, the countries have said that this is Pakistan’s internal matter. It, indeed, is Pakistan’s internal matter. Question Can you tell us if dates have been finalized for Chinese Presidents visit? There are also reports that Pakistan might consider changing the venue of the President’s arrival from Islamabad to Lahore. Can you confirm? Supplementary Question: There were reports that a team from China arrived yesterday to negotiate new dates for Chinese President’s visit. Is there any chance that this visit be re-scheduled? Answer First, you would recall that there has been no formal announcement of the visit or dates. You mentioned the arrival of a team; this is a normal procedure to discuss the administrative arrangements whenever such visits are planned. I need not mention that Pakistan and China are time tested friends and strategic partners. As regards the Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan, discussions are going on. Both sides are closely monitoring the situation in Islamabad. At the moment, I have nothing more to say. Question Some Pakistani media groups have recently warned about the consequences of the delays in the IP Gas Pipeline Project saying that some other Arab States would replace Pakistan in this huge energy project. Your comments please? Answer You are aware of the background. From this forum, we have responded to questions about the feasibility and future of the pipeline. There have been regular discussions between the two sides on various proposals. Both sides are in contact. I cannot comment on energy pipelines between Iran and any other country. That is their bilateral matter. As regards the Iran-Pakistan Pipeline, it is very much on the table and discussions are continuing. Question There are some news reports that a group of ISIS members has entered Pakistan and is trying to hire Pakistanis as members of Daish. Can you confirm? What would be Pakistan’s reaction if the reports are true? Answer I have seen media reports that some pamphlets have been found in some cases in KPK. Our approach to terrorism is very clear. At the moment, our armed forces are in the middle of taking a very decisive action against the terrorists who have killed thousands of innocent Pakistanis and attacked our armed forces. They have been trying to create instability in Pakistan. Our action is across the board against all terrorists - Daish or any other group included. I may also add that these are only media reports; we have not seen any evidence of their presence on our territory. Question Some countries have issued travel advisories and security parameters for their citizens. Was Pakistan officially intimated and was it in reaction to some advisory issued by the Foreign Office? Answer You may have seen the Press Release that we issued two days ago; it was in response to certain media reports, both print and electronic, claiming an advisory to the Embassies. We would request media to report more responsibly. As regards the advisories, every country has the right to advise its citizens when to exercise caution. We do it and we recognize that other countries also have the right to do that. Question Do we have any fresh dates for Pakistan-India Foreign Secretary level talks? Answer No. Question You just said no fresh dates for Pakistan-India Foreign Secretary level talks are under consideration, should we consider that Pak-India dialogue process has gone back to square one? Is there a chance of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of UNGA later this year? Answer I would not like to speculate on how Pak-India dialogue process would go forward. We have very clearly spelt out our position on the cancellation of the FS level talks on untenable grounds. As regards a meeting in New York, I am not aware of any such plan as yet. Question There have been reports that some mega projects are expected to be signed during the Chinese President’s visit. Can you give us details of any such projects that have been finalized? Can we have a list of the projects likely to be signed? Answer Well, this is an ongoing process. There are a number of projects and proposals in the pipeline. There are agreements and MoUs. I don’t have the list right now. Question There are some media reports that Al-Qaida has opened a new organization for the Indian sub-continent. Apparently, they have named a Pakistani militant as leader and the aim of this organization is to expand the war zone to India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Your comments please? Answer I have no comments as I do not have any information about this particular media report. As regards Pakistan, you know that Pakistan has taken a very resolute action against Al-Qaida and its remnants. Our military operation against terrorists is still going on. It is all inclusive and across the board. Question Are there any important meetings and visits cancelled due to the protests that have been going on in Islamabad? Also there is a presence of diplomatic community in the sectors adjoining the area where these protests are taking place. Are there any concerns expressed by the diplomatic community and what measures are being taken to ensure their safety and security? Answer As regards the visits, the President of Sri Lanka was scheduled to visit Pakistan. On our advice, the visit was postponed. For the second part of your question, you may like to look at the press release we issued two days ago. Question On Libyan situation, please update us about the Pakistani community. How many have been evacuated? How many are still there? Answer Well, the exact number of Pakistanis is difficult to determine because people have been leaving earlier also. Sometimes all the Pakistanis don’t contact embassies and get themselves registered. They come to embassies when they need consular services or any other help. It would, therefore, be difficult to predict exact number of Pakistanis but four flights have been operated. Before that, our embassy was facilitating the people to evacuate who could leave Libya on their own. They had the financial means to travel to Tunisia and Algeria. More than two thousand and five hundred people left earlier. A large number of people have been evacuated through chartered flights which are continuing. In addition, our embassy has established relief centers both in Tripoli and Benghazi in Pakistani schools. These people are being looked after by the Embassy. (Another flight carrying 260 stranded Pakistanis has since arrived). . Question There are reports that some embassies have suspended their visa services due to the prevailing situation in the Red Zone. Do you have information about the particular embassies which have suspended their visa services and what alternate has been provided to the public? Answer I know that some embassies have done this but I don’t have the names. Question There are international media reports that some Pakistani citizens are active with Daish and ISIS. Would you mind sharing any information and what kind of reports you have received about Pakistanis working with ISIS? Answer We don’t have any specific information about Pakistanis. There are media reports about citizens of many countries including many western countries going and fighting there from one side or the other. Question Although, Pakistan believes that current political situation is the internal matter of Pakistan but since there are reports that planning for this was done in UAE, London and Canada. What are the concerns of Pakistan on this matter? Answer Again, you are raising an issue which relates to internal situation. I would advise you approach the Ministry of Interior. Question Recently, US has forced new round of sanctions on Iran. New sanctions come while talks between Iran and Group 5+1 are continuing. Your comments on the new sanctions please. Answer Look, we have always believed that the issues between Iran and US or West can only be resolved through dialogue and that there cannot be any use of force. It is our long held position that sanctions don’t resolve matters but dialogue does. We felt vindicated and we were satisfied to see the dialogue process getting underway and progressing. We hope that the remaining issues would also be resolved through dialogue. ******************