The statement by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was made public following Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday that Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners. The spokesperson also stated that the election of Donald Trump as the new US president will not affect Pakistan’s relations with China.
According to PTI, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President-elect Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States. “Our relations with the United States go back decades and we look forward to further strengthening and expanding Pakistan-US relations in all sectors,” Baloch said at the weekly conference.
When asked if Trump’s election would affect Pakistan-China relations, he said Islamabad’s relations with Beijing are permanent, strategic and a source of stability in the country’s foreign policy. This relationship has not been affected by events around the world. Therefore, we do not even need to consider the possibility of this relationship being affected by internal developments in any other country.”
He said that we are fully committed to providing full security to Chinese citizens, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
When asked if Trump can influence Pakistan’s domestic politics and put pressure on the current government, he said this is a speculative report. Pakistan and the United States will continue to advance their relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.
Poison thrown again on Kashmir issue
Speaking on the Kashmir issue, Baloch said that Pakistan’s position on Kashmir is well known and he has repeatedly stressed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will decide its future as it is an internationally recognized disputed territory. India must understand that it cannot suppress the genuine aspirations of the people of Kashmir through forceful tactics. It must respect the rights and freedoms of the people of Kashmir and their inalienable right to self-determination enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The backlash came after India’s rebuke.
Let us tell you that this statement from Balochistan came after India criticized Pakistan for spreading lies and false propaganda and using the UN platform for its divisive political agenda after raising the Kashmir issue in the UN. India had said that any kind of misinformation or misleading information will not change the facts on the ground. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral part of the country.
During the briefing, Baloch said Pakistan was looking forward to welcoming Sikh pilgrims for the upcoming birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, which will be celebrated on November 15. He said: “The exchange of religious pilgrims between Pakistan and India is carried out as per the bilateral protocol of 1974, which is still in force. “We will continue to facilitate pilgrims to visit Pakistan on important religious occasions.”
He said this during the meeting of the prime ministers of both countries in Baku.
Asked about any meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, next week, he said: “At this moment, no bilateral meeting is scheduled with Prime Minister Indian Minister in Baku. .”
He also spoke about the health reports of jailed Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik, who is on hunger strike. “We urge the Indian authorities to provide quality medical care to Malik and release him immediately,” he said.
