ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said that the US diplomat involved in the killing of a Pakistani citizen in a road accident in the federal capital was allowed to leave the country only after an assurance that he would be tried in a US court of law.
“The United States government has assured that a probe will be initiated against Defence and Air Attaché Colonel Emanuel Joseph,” said Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr Faisal during the weekly briefing. He said Joseph flew back to the US as he had diplomatic immunity just like other embassy officials in Pakistan. To a question, he said they did not have details on the matter of financial compensation paid to the victim’s family.
On travel restrictions on US diplomats and their families in Pakistan, Dr Faisal said the decision was made in response to the limitations imposed on the movement of Pakistani diplomats in the US. To a question that why extra restrictions were imposed on US diplomats, the spokesperson said Pakistan only took back additional facilities that were given to the US officials in the past.
According to Dr Faisal, past governments had given a number of special facilities to US diplomats in Pakistan, including permission to use tinted windows on vehicles, diplomatic licence plates on private vehicles and vice versa, and installation of communication devices. He said only those facilities were taken back besides the imposition of travel restrictions, but no additional limitations were levied.
The spokesman said that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will attend a special summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey being held to discuss recent massacre of innocent Palestinians by the Israeli forces. The prime minister will be visiting Turkey on the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim.
On the issue of Palestine, the spokesman said Pakistan has noted with grave concern that despite calls by the international community to comply with UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on the two-state solution, US has moved its embassy to the Holy City of Jerusalem. “This represents a violation of international law and several United Nations Security Council resolutions, in particular resolutions 476 and 478.” “The government and people of Pakistan stand firmly with the Palestinian people and renew the call for establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he said. “The Government of Pakistan strongly condemns the merciless killings and injuries to innocent unarmed Palestinian civilian protesters by the occupying authorities,” he said. “Pakistan calls on the United Nations and the international community to investigate and bring to end the use of force, which has resulted in causalities of innocent Palestinian civilians, including women, children and the elderly,” he added.
Regarding the fourth round of Pakistan-Afghanistan discussions in Islamabad, the spokesperson said both the countries have finalised Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPS). He said the plan provides a framework to strengthen mutual trust, deepen interaction in all spheres of bilateral engagements and also provides a mechanism to final solutions for areas of mutual concerns. He said APAPS will continue to work towards common objective of eliminating terrorism and help achieving peace stability, prosperity and development of the two countries. To a question, Faisal remarked that India was using the Pakistan card to influence internal politics in the country. “Indian media is active vis-a-vis Pakistan and New Delhi is also trying to divert the attention of the international community from occupied Kashmir,” the spokesperson said.
Faisal referred to a recent incident which highlighted the friction between the two countries and said Pakistan regretted the decision of the Indian government to prevent the daughter of famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz from addressing a function in India. “Pakistan has always tried to tone down Indian aggression and we are not oblivious to the rapid arms build-up and induction of destabilizing weapon system in our neighbourhood,” he maintained. He added that Pakistan was committed to the policy of restraint and avoidance of armed race in South Asia, but would take necessary steps to safeguard its vested interests.
“This year, the Indian forces have carried out more than 1000 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, resulting in the martyrdom of 24 innocent civilians and injured 107 others,” the spokesman said, to a question on violations on the Line of Control (LoC) as well as the Working Boundary. “The unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing since 2017. The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws,” he said. “The Indian ceasefire violations are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation,” he said.
“Pakistan condemns the unlawful detention of the Hurriyet leaders including Shabbir Shah, Massrat Alam Bhat, Nayeem Khan, Dr Qasim Fakhtoo, Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Meraj-ud-din Kalwal, Farooq Dar, 55-year-old Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi and Nahida Nasreen, as well as students and youth who are languishing in different jails of occupied Kashmir and in India,” the spokesman said, deploring the arrest of Hurriyet leaders Bashir Lone and Rafiq Shah Owais under draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) for merely participating in funeral prayers of Prof Dr Rafiq Bhat in Ganderbal. The spokesman said Pakistan condemned the multiple missile attacks on Jazan and Riyadh by Houthi militia. The successful interception of the missiles by the Saudi forces prevented loss of innocent lives, he said. “Pakistan reiterates its solidarity with the Saudi leadership as well as people and stands by Saudi Arabia against any threats to its territorial integrity and the Harmain Sharifain,” he added.
The spokesman said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had extended the deepest felicitations to Dr Mahathir Muhammad on becoming prime minister of Malaysia. The prime minister underscored that the unprecedented victory of Pakatan Harapan is the clear demonstration of Malaysian people’s trust in the dynamic and inspirational leadership of Dr Mahathir, he added.
Published in Daily Times, May 18th 2018.
