Pakistan in talks with US over security assistance: FO
Pakistan Foreign Office expresses concern over India’s plan to send satellites into space with intention to spy
January 11, 2018
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Foreign Office said on Thursday it is in talks with the United States over matters of mutual interest, including security assistance, but it was too soon to reveal more at this point in time.
In his weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said the two countries were in talks over matters of mutual interest, including security assistance, details of which cannot be revealed to media just now.
The FO spokesperson shared concern over India’s plan to send satellites into space, allegedly for spying purposes. India intends to send 31 satellites into space on Saturday (January 13), with reports suggesting that the satellites have been fitted with spying devices, he said.
India should refrain from military use of space technology and [such measures] that could disrupt the balance of power in the region, Faisal stated.
The Foreign Office in its statement also condemned the Quetta suicide bombing and the brutal rape and murder of the seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur.
The FO spokesperson informed that ambassadors/heads of mission of resident Missions in Islamabad were briefed on Wednesday by the country’s top civilian and military officials on Pakistan's achievements and challenges in counter-terrorism efforts, and in combating violent extremism.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Lt Gen Bilal Akbar, and the directors general of Military Operations and Military Intelligence briefed members of the diplomatic corps at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday. The diplomats were provided details about the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad, which had eliminated terrorist presence in Pakistan, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said earlier.
"They were also briefed about the terrorist threat emanating from the safe havens and sanctuaries in Afghanistan, resulting in loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure in Pakistan," the statement had said.
The ambassadors and heads of missions were also briefed on how "Indian belligerence and unhelpful posturing is distracting Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts and how an active RAW-NDS nexus is verifiably working to undermine Pakistan's internal stability," according to the FO statement.
The members of the diplomatic corps were also shown evidence of an Indian campaign of unprecedented ceasefire violations, provocations and insinuations including terrorism in the form of IED attacks against innocent civilians on the Pakistan side of the LoC and the WB, the FO statement had added.
The FO spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan has sacrificed the most in the war against terrorism, which cost the country more than 120 billion dollars.
Faisal said there was concern over the activities of anti-Pakistan terrorists based in Afghanistan. He also refuted speculation regarding presence of any terrorist leadership on Pakistani soil.
The FO spokesperson also urged the international community to stop the ongoing human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
