National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): Pakistan on Thursday said it would
like to see the recent defence deal between the United States
and India did not disturb strategic balance of South Asia.
Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said “Pakistan
hoped the set arrangements do not contribute to polarizing
the region by disturbing the strategic balance in South Asia
and escalating the arms build-up”.
The Spokesman at a weekly press briefing said though
the defence pact was an agreement between two sovereign
countries, “Pakistan hoped it would contribute to peace and
stability in the region”.
On Kashmir dispute, he said Pakistan would continue
to extend support to Kashmiris in Indian-Occupied Kashmir
till “justice is done”.
“We will continue to extend political and diplomatic
to Kashmiris till justice is done to the people of Kashmir
and the brutalities against them are ended,” he said.
The Spokesman said Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the
Kashmir cause was a “matter of commitment” for it.
He mentioned a letter written by Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif to the United Nations Secretary General on Wednesday
in response to his letter acknowledging Pakistan’s commitment
to the Kashmir cause.
“The Prime Minister has called upon the UN Secretary
General to send a fact-finding mission to Kashmir, stressing
that Azad Kashmir cannot be compared with Indian-Occupied
Kashmir, having grim situation of human rights,” he said.
The letter has also pointed that Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s remarks on Balochistan are “an attempt to
divert international community’s attention from the Kashmir
dispute”.
On nomination of 22 parliamentarians by the Prime
Minister to highlight Kashmir issue abroad, the Spokesman
said it would be an effective and direct political channel
in addition to the already in-place efforts of diplomatic
envoys.
Zakaria said Pakistan was ready to hold dialogue with
India whenever the latter was ready, however, stressed that
Kashmir issue would be part of agenda.
“We cannot accept pre-conditions in talks,” he said when
his attention was drawn to the statement of Indian External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj saying that India would not
engage with Pakistan in talks unless it hands over those
involved in Pathankot incident.
The Spokesman said international community needed to
play its role in resolution of Kashmir dispute, adding that
the United Nations had a responsibility upon it to play in
this regard.
To a question on India’s decision to replace the use of
pellet shotguns with chilli-filled PAVA shells, he said Indian
decision was acknowledgement of the heinous crimes being
committed against innocent Kashmiris, that killed hunderds and
left around 570 with eye injuries.