Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,

Assalmoalaikum to all of you and a very Happy new year. May this year prove to be full of abundance for Pakistan, all of you and all of my colleagues in MoFA and the Government.

I shared my intention with the Spokesperson to participate in today’s weekly briefing for a few minutes, as I have some meetings scheduled in the Prime Minister’s office from 1200 hours onwards.

First of all, I want to share with you that the Spokesperson’s office has been very nicely managed and efficiently handled by our colleague Ms. Mumtaz Baloch. In recognition of her services, the Government of Pakistan has decided to appoint her as the Ambassador of Pakistan to France. She will assume her responsibilities as the Ambassador in France in the coming few days. And we have tried to provide you with a replacement equally competent and suitable to this field, Mr. Shafqat and he will be with you from the next week in the weekly briefing.

You may remember that 2024 was an important year for us. PML-N secured the mandate after elections and Mian Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. We faced very serious challenges like; high inflation rate around 30s which affected the businesses and economy of our country, and State Bank’s policy rate was around 22 per cent, known as the parallel to inflation rate. You can add 2 to 3 per cent of the banks’ margin. No business could flourish in these situations.

Similarly, GDP growth rate was very low.  On the other hand, it was being claimed at that time that Pakistan was facing diplomatic isolation. Soon after taking the responsibility of the Government, we started working on all fronts and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared a road map on economy “Uraan Pakistan” with you on the 31st December 2024. Basically, Pakistan shares a five-year plan in June in the National Economic Council, as many countries set up similar plans. So, the Prime Minister shared with you this roadmap “Uraan Pakistan” for attaining the economic goals outlined in the economic plan of 2024-29 on 31st December 2024.

Alhamdulillah, we have made significant progress on the economic front by the efforts of this Government. Policy rate is reduced from 22 percent to 13 percent, inflation is around 5 percent now, even this month we achieved an inflation rate less than 5 percent. We have also witnessed a positive trend in the foreign remittances. Similarly, due to economic activities, there is a positive trend in the GDP growth. Foreign exchange reserves have improved during this period. Similarly, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Government of Pakistan is trying to fulfil the commitments it made with the people of Pakistan.

One of the concerns of public was higher electricity bills. And there were multiple reasons for that like the value of currency of Pakistan in the last few years hiked significantly, whereas Mian Nawaz Sharif left with the currency rate of 104 when I was the Minister of Finance in 2017. The most daunting impact of devaluation is, there is no surety if the exports will increase or not, but devaluation is considered to be a main tool to increase exports so it is recommended that it should be set free. Thus, in order to promote the 8 percent exports, we risked the 92 percent of our economy.

As from the last year the currency is in a stable condition, exports are also increasing, IT and other sectors are also boosting. You may have seen that the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presented a special scheme for up to 200 units, and a similar scheme for Punjab for 200 to 500 units. It was not a low-cost item. The first phase of 200 units in the summers had a subsidy ratio of Rupees 50 billion. Similarly, in Punjab Rupees 57 to 60 billion subsidy is estimated, final figures will be shared soon.

On the economic front, things are getting better. The storm of inflation has reduced and there is a downward trend in inflation as all the numbers are indicating. The inflation rate is 5 per cent now. With regards to electricity situation, the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, with all his efforts, tried to provide maximum relief to the public and he is still working on it as summers are coming again. That doesn’t mean that there is any dull moment for the government.

As far as that perception of our diplomatic isolation is concerned, it was true to an extent due to unprecedented challenges at the national, global, and regional level. Our consistent and successful approach was to increase our diplomatic footprint, and our neighbors in the region, Central Asian States in our periphery and entire South Asia was on the agenda of this government and you may have witnessed that the perception regarding diplomatic isolation has vanished in thin air. By the will of Allah, today Pakistan is fully active in all dimensions and all forums, whether bilateral or multilateral. The Foreign Office is fulfilling its responsibilities. As there are different levels on all forums, whether bilateral or multilateral, like there is a senior official level, working level, ministerial level and heads of government or the heads of state level. On all these levels, the Foreign Office is fulfilling its responsibilities.

So, let me remind you of our efforts in the 10 months of 2024. On my first day in the Foreign Office, I told my colleagues that from now onwards, apart from conventional diplomacy, we would also be engaged in the economic diplomacy because in the world now economy is the name of the game. If you recall, in a presidential debate, President Clinton said to his opponent, “Its economy, stupid”.

Soon after new Government was formed, the First Nuclear Energy Summit was held in Brussels which I attended on behalf of Pakistan. There was a time when our civil nuclear energy used to be heavily criticized, but now, by the will of Allah, the world has recognized in the First Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels in March that after hydro, the cleanest and safest energy or the green energy is the civil nuclear energy. I intervened on behalf of Pakistan and thanked Allah. During the time of PDM’s government, Chashma 5 (C-5) agreement was finalized and negotiated with China, and now the project has started and will be completed with a great success. Similarly, the K2 and K3 nuclear projects of approx. 2500 MW each located in Karachi and started in the era of Mian Nawaz Sharif have also been completed. This was our first multilateral activity and after that you might remember that the Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia visited Pakistan in April on our invitation and we had very useful meetings with him. We had discussions on multilateral and global issues.

The, if you remember in the same month, the late President of Iran and his Foreign Minister visited Pakistan and we had discussions and I remember that in this very room, we interacted with all of you as well. Fast forward, the World Economic Forum was held in Saudi Arabia. Its theme was “Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy” and it was held in Riyadh in April. Pakistan participated in that forum as well.

After that, there was an OIC Summit in Gambia’s capital Banjol next month, I attended the ministerial meeting along with representing Pakistan in the summit and it was a great success. Not only in that forum but in all the meetings held which I’m going to tell you briefly, our core agenda has included the strong advocation of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, its current situation and history and the conflict of Gaza.

I’ll run down a few important events which we attended on behalf of Pakistan. And the new thing that we did in the Summit of OIC in Banjol while representing Pakistan was that we raised our voice against Islamophobia. We did a campaign and convinced the ministers that there should be a Special Envoy, Secretary General of OIC who which will work on the agenda full time. And we succeeded in that. There was some resistance as it was a multilateral forum, and some countries had reservations but somehow that appointment was also done. The balloting result came in favor of the Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, who is a highly intellectual professor and now he is a Special Envoy of OIC Secretary General on Islamophobia.

On Gaza, the Prime Minister never minced his words and openly blamed and accused Israel on its acts of genocide in Gaza and called for its end. I don’t think that any head of the country took on the case of Gaza with the courage that Pakistan did. Pakistan is also among few countries which courageously blamed Israel by taking its name. So, I think that being a Muslim country and  being a member of OIC family, which is the organization of 57 Muslim countries, this is our duty, Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s as the Prime Minister and mine as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister to raise this issue, and we raised this issue successfully on every forum and will continue to raise our voices. On no uncertain terms we have said that the resolutions should be implemented and that the International Court of Justice has also said that it is a plausible genocide. These are our diplomatic efforts.

In addition to these diplomatic efforts, we have also taken some practical measures. We have sent almost 14 consignments of humanitarian assistance in Gaza, almost 9 in Lebanon and 5 or 4 in Syria. Since all the medical colleges and hospitals in Gaza are destroyed, an organization of the UK which mainly includes doctors, approached me during my bilateral visit to the UK that the final year medical students of Gaza may complete their studies in Pakistan. We engaged with all medical public and private colleges there and I also head the relevant committee on that issue, and we managed some space for those students and now those Palestinian students have already taken their admissions in Lahore, Islamabad and in different cities and have started their studies. Like I said that this is our core responsibility.

Similarly, for many years, OIC Contact Group meetings of Jammu and Kashmir were not being held, and OIC has several Contact Groups, so after long time we managed to hold the meeting OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir in Banjol, in which our brotherly countries like; Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Iran participated with me very productively on the forum.

Prime Minister visited UAE in May 2024, and he has been undertaking these visits to market Pakistan and attract FDI for the country and he is still undertaking visits in this context. He visited Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Kuwait and the UAE, which is expected to bring approximately 29 billion of FDI in the coming years.

Similarly in D-8, a Developing Eight Forum, the headquarter of which is in Istanbul, it was Pakistan’s turn for the Secretary General for the next year. We proposed the nomination of our very accomplished former Foreign Secretary and diplomat Mr. Sohail Mahmood, lobbied very stringly for his appointment which has been endorsed. He will take over his responsibility in Istanbul for the period of 4 years from 1st January 2026. The meeting of D-8 was on Gaza, and it was a ministerial meeting. Its host was my brother, the Foreign Minister of Turkiye Hakan Fidan. When the official meeting concluded, the President of Turkiye, Tayyip Erdogan also invited all the ministers and had informal discussion with us.

After that, in June, the King of Jordan, the President of Egypt, and the UN Secretary General organized a meeting on the issue of Gaza in Amman. As the world was on fire, innocent children and women were dying and martyred, more than 100,000 were wounded. Whole world was taking interest in the situation due to the prevailing humanitarian crisis. We also strongly raised our voice on this issue.

After that the Prime Minister undertook an official visit to China in June. 23 MOUs were signed during that visit which are now under progress. CPEC phase II was also discussed and finalized there, as you are also witnessing that work and progress on ML-I, Karachi to Hyderabad railway or the Karakoram and other projects is ongoing.

Prime Minister also undertook his bilateral visit to Tajikistan from 2-3 July on the invitation of Tajik side and annexed with the meeting of SCO Heads of States in Astana on 4-5 July 2024. So, first he undertook a bilateral visit to Tajikistan and then attended the SCO Heads of States Summit in Astana. I accompanied him during the summit as I had to attend the Ministerial segmend which precedes the sUmmit asa usual formality. On the sidelines of SCO Heads of States, we held a trilateral meeting with Turkiye, and Azerbaijan. Both the Presidents of Turkiye and Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan held a meaningful dialogue during that meeting. The next round of that meeting is expected soon.

In Jeddah, the OIC members were gathered again on the level of Foreign Ministers. Foreign Ministers were invited to have a dialogue because it was a grave situation in Gaza, and acts of oppression were ongoing. So, we attended that meeting.

As you know that the session of UNGA in August was also very crucial. Due to the prevalent domestic situation at that time, it was decided that the Prime Minister will participate in UNGA and I will stay back to handle domestic matters needing attention at that time. You may have seen that the Prime Minister met dozens of other Prime Ministers on the sidelines. It was a successful visit, he successfully raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine and Gaza. By the will of Allah, the Prime Minister successfully fulfilled his responsibility of representing Pakistan in the 79th Session UNGA.

I also made a bilateral visit to the UK on the invitation of the British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy. I received invitation at a time when Pakistan was elected as non-permanent member of UNSC in June and he was one of the first one to congratulate me on the election as UNSC non-permanent member when I was on my visit to China and he was the shadow Foreign Secretary at that time.

It was at that time when he introduced himself to me and expressed the wish that if Labour party wins the UK elections, then he is looking forward to meeting me. I accepted his invitation and visited the UK. During the visit, I had extensive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister, Enza Layner, who was Deputy Leader of the opposition of the Labour party in the House of Commons two years ago and had visited Pakistan and held meeting with me when I was Finance Minister of Pakistan at that time.

Other meetings were held with my counterpart David Lammy in which among other things, I raised the issue of PIA. Because we worked tirelessly on this issue during PDM tenure. It is unfortunate that one non-serious statement by a member of Cabinet had such serious consequences that Pakistan’s national carrier in Europe, US and UK was banned as a result. So, we had to listen to all terms and conditions stated by these countries. It is evident that wish lists are usually long. So, from September 2022 to August 2023, the PDM government held various meetings and undertook various steps. Eventually, we also made changes in the Civil Aviation Law in which regulatory and security functions were separated. This was one of the demands put forward by them otherwise functions would have resumed in the same manner as were before the ban. As soon as we assumed power, we decided to address the issue of indirect flights which Pakistani diaspora faced in the shape of expensive tickets and increased flight times due to indirect flights.

We held meeting with the Europeans and the British diplomats in which we conveyed our position that we are willing to take any action necessary to lift this ban. It is due to these efforts; the European Union has lifted the ban. During my visit to Samoa to attend Commonwealth meeting, I again raised this issue with British Foreign Secretary, in which he reassured that his team would visit in January.

I am confident that we have left no stone unturned for improvement of the position of PIA among world airlines and due to reforms, PIA’s technical and security standing is now in much better position than most of the European Airlines. It was ranked in mid 80s according to international ratings. Hopefully, this issue will resolve because that statement costed PIA 67 billion rupees from UK and 18 billion rupees from the European Union. In total, PIA was losing 84 billion rupees average annually. Is there anyone who will initiate accountability on this blunder? I am hopeful that this issue will be resolved, and Pakistani diaspora will be facilitated.

On 14 October 2024, Chinese Prime Minister made a bilateral visit to Pakistan despite the incident in Karachi. He attended successful bilateral visit and after 27 years, a successful multilateral organization event was conducted in Pakistan in the shape of SCO Heads of Government meeting. Such a level of meeting was held 27 years ago in 1997 in which Pakistan performed its duties fantastically. I am thankful to all institutions including MoFA, Interior Ministry, security agencies. All institutions played its part for its success. Our guests were also happy. Convention Centre, which was in disarray, was revived. My team visited the Jinnah Convention Centre 4 times in a week. I also congratulate Chief Commissioner Islamabad/ Chairman CDA who worked hard. PM held several meetings as well. MoFA had 16 sub-committees regarding SCO Summit. It was a huge responsibility to host Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of Government Summit in Pakistan, such a level of event after 27 years. Alhamdulillah 8 PMs and 10 Ministers of SCO member states attend the summit.

The reception was well received, well praised and appreciated. Convention Centre is now operational for big events. Jinnah Centre is again ready to host International Conference on Girls Education conducted by Muslim World League and ‘Rabta e Islami’ which is Saudia based. Pakistan is ready to host this Conference under the supervision of PM. It is also my responsibility to hold meeting on this matter. More than 30 countries have confirmed the invitation, and 50 delegates are expected to arrive. It’s going to be very good event. So, this event is going to be held in Islamabad in coming days.

Malaysian PM and my counterpart visited Pakistan. The FM arrived earlier and held interaction with the media. He discussed promotion of trade. Our primary focus is export led growth and foreign direct investment in Pakistan. Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim invited me to visit Malaysia to discuss promotion of trade and discuss development of roadmap and ensure business to business community interaction so that PM meeting is meaningful. So, I will visit Malaysia from 03 to 05 February. After my completion of visit to Malaysia, I will also visit Bangladesh on the invitation of Dr. Yunus which I received at Cairo. I think Bangladesh visit is crucial. Bangladesh is our lost brother, and we will work, support and cooperate on the economic and trade front and thing are moving fast on these fronts.

I also attended Commonwealth Heads of Meeting in Samao, which was so far that it took me 36 hours and 3 flights to arrive there. I interacted with Kings Charles and the Queen and with member of Commonwealth countries. This was a comprehensive interaction. Why was it necessary for me to be there? I will share in a lighter note. I asked core team of Mofa why it was necessary to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting so they informed me that those countries will be present there who support Pakistan on multilateral fora, mainly African countries. As we have interaction with them on other fora, so it is a unique opportunity to interact with those countries there. So, I fastened my seatbelt and made my way there. It was excellent event. In that meeting, I again reminded David Lammy of his promise. In which he reassured that we would send our delegation consisting of technical panel for inspection in January. That was also very good.

In November, Arab Islamic Summit was held in Riyadh which was mutually hosted by Arab League and OIC. In this summit, world issues were discussed. Senior Officials and I were already present in Riyadh, one day before the Summit.

In November, PM attended COP-29 conference which was a successful meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. Pakistan engaged in trilateral meetings with Azerbaijan.

Towards the middle or end of November, Iranian Foreign Minister visited Pakistan to give invitation for ECO. I requested him to conduct ECO Summit at Mashad which, to my great surprise, he did. In ECO Summit, he held discussions openly. As you know ECO is precursor to RCD whose original founding members were Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye. Its headquarter is in Tehran. One of the Foreign Secretaries of Pakistan is the Security General of ECO. Meetings were held regarding Syria and geopolitics.

Recently, D-8 Forum was held in Cairo. Almost all of the Heads of States and Heads of Governments were present in the meeting in which matters related to world challenges were discussed. It was a coincidence CICA meeting at Baku was at the same date. So, I first attended the D-8 summit and then joined CICA meeting virtually.

I have given the rundowns of 10 months diplomatic efforts. Now, no one can say Pakistan is isolated. We became the member of UNSC for 8th time but unlike in past, we became the member with record votes i.e. 182 votes vs 5 votes.  We will perform our duties exceptionally from tomorrow. Right now, Algeria has the chairmanship. Pakistan turn will come in June-July. We will continue to interact with our colleagues and our friends diplomatically and on global issues. Pakistan will continue to expand bilateral trade in this regard. I also held a briefing on P-5 and non-permanent member states with media yesterday.

I just gave the rundown of how PM is doing his utmost to improve Pakistan’s economy and trade as Pakistan is a nuclear power and when Pakistan will become an economic power as well, then Pakistan will receive true prestige among 57 countries.

I thank you.

(Mateen Haider, G News): Story appeared in Washington Post that exposed Indian intelligence presence in Pakistan. And the report said that Indian intelligence has been in Pakistan and has been engaged and involved in crimes and terrorism. Your thoughts on this?

Spokesperson: Thank you. We have already spoken about this. Pakistan has expressed serious concerns about extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings conducted and sponsored by Indian intelligence inside Pakistan. These activities are not just limited to Pakistan. We have seen that India's network of extra territorial killings and abductions has now gone global, and there are other countries also which have exposed India's extraterritorial killing and assassinations on their soil.

(Qurat Ul Ain, Independent News): Some Indian media organization has reported around three days ago that reportedly Pakistan Army is planning to send our troops to Bangladesh to train the Bangladesh's army. Can you please confirm or deny?

Spokesperson: First of all, Pakistan and friendly countries have longstanding training programs in terms of defense and security and training of diplomats. These programmes have continued for a long time. With regards to any specific training programmes, I would advise you to contact ISPR for details.

(Muhammad Saleh Zafir, The News): First of all, let me acknowledge the fact that you did your job very well as a spokesperson, and we wish you very good luck for your next assignment. And the question is that there is a bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan regarding exchange of prisoners twice a year. But this time, India has asked rather something more. India has asked Pakistan to expedite the process of repatriating their prisoners. India has referred to some defence personnels which are in Pakistan custody. Could you confirm that does Pakistan have any Indian defence personnel in its custody? And Pakistan had also been alleging that some of its defence personnel are in Indian jails. Kindly give us the detail about this whole affair.

Spokesperson: You may have seen the statement that we released yesterday. This is an annual exercise between Pakistan and India where the two sides exchange lists of prisoners. And in our statement, it was very clearly mentioned that the Government of Pakistan handed over a list of 266 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, of which 49 are civilians and 217 are fishermen. And the government of India has shared a list of Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails, and according to them, there are 462 Pakistani nationals in Indian jails, of which 81 are fishermen. The Government of India has been asked by the Government of Pakistan to release and repatriate all Pakistanis who have completed their sentences and whose national status have been verified. We have also asked the Government of India to grant consular access to 38 missing defence personnel of 1965 and 1971 wars. I do not have anything further to add on to this.

(Khalid Mehmood, Express News): Madam, yesterday, Afghan authorities threatened Pakistan that they will seek revenge and later they sent 15,000 troops to the Pakistan-Afghan border. How do you see this escalation?

Spokesperson: As we have said in the past, Pakistan desires friendly relations with all its neighbours, including with Afghanistan. We have a robust dialogue with Afghanistan, and we would like to continue to engage with Afghanistan on all aspects of bilateral relations, including the issues that relate to security and border management. Secondly, I must underline the people of Pakistan, the armed forces of Pakistan, are fully capable of defending our national security and national sovereignty against any threat internal or external.

(Shaukat Piracha, AAJ News): Madam, how do you respond to the reports that there is some kind of understanding between China and Pakistan that Pakistan will provide Gawadar Port to China and in quid pro quo, China will provide a second-strike capability to Pakistan?

Spokesperson: Please, first, I would strongly advise the media not to believe in such speculations. This is fake news. Gawadar port is a port for the development of Pakistan, which has been developed with the support of the Chinese government. And Pakistan government has no designs whatsoever to offer military bases to any foreign government or entity.

(Abdul Hadi Mayar, Hum Pashto 1): Last month, when Pakistani planes carried out strikes inside Afghanistan, there were also reports from Pakistani handles and X that Pakistani forces have entered Wakhan belt. Can you confirm these reports?

Spokesperson: These reports are not correct. Pakistan respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

(Khawaja Nayyar Iqbal, Media Today): Madam, in Pakistan’s view, is there any tension between Pakistan and America?

Spokesperson: I do not understand the basis of this question, but Pakistan and the United States enjoy good, cordial relations. This is a multi-faceted relationship. It is an important relationship for the mutual benefit of both Pakistan and the United States, and we will continue to pursue this relationship for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples.

(Qurat Ul Ain, Independent News): So, my question is, has Pakistan established contact with the new administration or the Government in Syria? And if not, does Pakistan intend to? and on what basis this has happened?

(Muhammad Saleh Zafir, The News): Has Pakistan recognized the new Government in Syria?

(Azaz Syed, Geo News): Ma’am, the Syrian Embassy in Pakistan raised the flag of their new regime. Was Pakistan or the Foreign Office informed regarding this?

Spokesperson: I think this story on which you are basing your question is incorrect is not a factual. And the Syrian Embassy has also issued a statement in this regard. With regards to the two questions that have been asked, the Government of Pakistan has consistently supported efforts aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the situation in Syria – a solution that upholds the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We believe that the future of Syria should correspond to the aspirations of the Syrian people for security, stability and development. Pakistan will continue to support efforts for peace and stability in Syria.

(Qurat Ul Ain, Independent News): Has Pakistan established contact with the new administration or the Government in Syria?

Spokesperson: I would not like to comment on specific details, but at this stage, we do not have direct contacts between the leadership, but our Embassy remains active in Syria.

(Anas Mallick, Capital TV): Coming back to Afghanistan, two questions. First we saw border clashes with Afghanistan over the weekend, which it says were retaliatory, to what you have not confirmed or denied the air strikes. What do you have to say on that?  Number two, the 31st of December deadline that was put forward by the Interior Minister with regards to Afghan seeking an NOC if they want to continue to live in and around Islamabad. What do you have to say on that as well? Thank you.

(Azaz Syed, Geo News): Ma'am in connection with the Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan, I want to understand was the Foreign Office considered before these strikes? And at what level the decision was made. Was it made at the Prime Minister level, or it was discussed and approved by the cabinet? Or was it taken on any other forum? And which forum was it where the decision to strike inside Afghanistan was taken?    

(Sikandar Dogar, Pakistan Diplomacy News): There are some news circulating in local and international media that around 400 militants from across the border have captured five Pakistani check posts in Bajaur. Can you confirm this?      

Spokesperson: First of all, I would like to reiterate what I said in our briefing last time. The Pakistani security forces conduct operations in the border areas against terror entities and terror groups. Pakistan is committed to protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity and any incidents of individuals, terrorists trying to enter Pakistani territory is responded by our security forces, and we will continue to do so. Pakistan believes in diplomacy, and we will continue to engage with the Government of Afghanistan to respond to any issues that arise along the border with Afghanistan.

(Zeeshan Syed, Neo TV): Thank you, Ma’am. Pakistan is a signatory of Refugee Convention of 1951 and 1967 Protocols. There are reports that Afghan citizens holding the POR and ACC cards also being deported from Pakistan. What is the authencity of these reports? And if the reports are true, is it not the violation of the Refugee Convention?

Spokesperson: First of all, I would like to clarify that Pakistan is not party to the Refugee Convention of 1951. Despite that fact, Pakistan is a country which has been so generously hosting Afghan refugees over the last several decades. Thirdly, Pakistan's policy with regards to refugees is clear. We would like to work towards their repatriation to their home country in honour and dignity. With regards to the POR card holders, or any position with regards to any Afghan national in Pakistan, who is here in violation of Pakistan's immigration laws, the Ministry of Interior would be the right forum to respond to your query.

(Kamran Yousaf, The Express Tribune): Thank you. When the Afghan side conducted what they called the retaliatory strikes, their Defense Ministry Spokesperson issued a statement and they stated that they carried out these strikes across the hypothetical line, because they believe that the territory where they allegedly struck was not part of Pakistan, because they don't recognize the Durand line. Has Pakistan lodged any protest or what is Pakistan's stance on it? Because many people feel that we invested so much in Afghan Taliban, but they do not even recognize the international border between us.

Spokesperson: You see, as we have said repeatedly in the past, Pakistan Afghanistan border is an internationally recognized border. Anybody's statement cannot change the reality of the legality of the Pakistan Afghanistan border. So, this issue is not even on the agenda between Pakistan and Afghanistan because Pakistan's borders are clearly defined and Pakistan Afghanistan border is not up for any discussion.

(Muhammad Saleh Zaafir, The News): What is the legal status of Foreign Minister of Afghanistan? Isn’t he also a designated individual?

Spokesperson: We have always said that we respect the choices of the people of Afghanistan. It is their right to determine their future, their political dispensation. And Pakistan will continue to develop friendly ties with its neighbour Afghanistan. We will also continue to engage with the Afghan Interim Government.

(Mateen Haider, G News): There was also an event marking Pakistan's membership as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. What specific plans Pakistan has made for its UNSC term? We still remember when India got that opportunity, there were number of things against Pakistan on their agenda. So specifically, please share the issues Pakistan will be highlighting as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Thank you.

Spokesperson: Pakistan is a member of the UN Security Council since yesterday, and this is our eighth term at the United Nations Security Council. We will continue to uphold International law, the UN Charter and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Pakistan's priorities at the UN Security Council would be to maintain strict adherence to UN Charter, its purposes, principles and objectives. It will pursue actively just and peaceful resolution of disputes. Thirdly, it will promote multilateralism and oppose resort to unilateral and illegal use or threat of use of force. Pakistan will also promote comprehensive approach to counter-terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We will also support effective UN peacekeeping, peace enforcement and peace building endeavours, including increased representation of women in UN peacekeeping. Pakistan will also work with the elected 10 members of United Nations Security Council to strengthen the role of the United Nations Security Council in settlement of international disputes and to resolve international hot spots. Pakistan will also work closely with African countries to support African solutions to African problems for peace and prosperity.

(Amir Abbasi, Nukta News): Last question, Afghanistan is welcoming and inviting Indians and Indians have announced investments in Afghanistan. Does Pakistan have concerns about this?

Spokesperson: We respect the government and people of Afghanistan and their right to develop relations with any country. We hope and expect that development of bilateral relations between countries in the region should not undermine the objectives of  regional peace and stability.

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