Kashmir being oldest issue on UN agenda needs to be resolved: Pakistani Foreign Office’s Spokesman “Help promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries,” H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria
By,Asghar Ali Mubarak
Islamabad-The Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said that incidents like an anti-Pakistan campaign ahead of Pakistan cricket team’s visit to India were counterproductive to efforts aimed at reducing tensions. “Sports and other functions, including arts and cultural events, help promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries,” the spokesman said.He said that Pakistan’s policy was based on the prime minister’s vision of ‘good neighborly relations’ with India and other countries. The Pakistani Foreign Office Spokesman H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said that there is no change in Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir.In his weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that Jammu and Kashmir is the oldest issue on the agenda of the United Nations which needs to be resolved.The Spokesman said Pakistan will continue to support Kashmiris till the implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir.He welcomed the US for recognizing the Kashmir issue as a dispute.To a question, the Spokesman said Pakistan, China and the United States are acting as facilitators for dialogue between Afghan Government and Taliban. He said it is the collective responsibility to bring Taliban to the negotiating table. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that Jammu and Kashmir was the oldest issue on the agenda of the United Nations that needed to be resolved. H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said there was no change in Pakistan’s principled stand on Kashmir and Pakistan would continue to raise the issue at every forum. “Whenever there are talks between India and Pakistan, the Kashmir issue will remain on the agenda,” he said. He reiterated that Pakistan would continue to support Kashmiris till implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir. He said that Kashmiris were struggling for their right to self-determination. “We have always condemned human rights violations by the Indian security forces,” he added. He welcomed the US for recognising the Kashmir issue as a dispute.H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said that incidents like an anti-Pakistan campaign ahead of Pakistan cricket team’s visit to India were counterproductive to efforts aimed at reducing tensions. “Sports and other functions, including arts and cultural events, help promote people-to-people contacts between the two countries,” the spokesman said.H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said that Pakistan’s policy was based on the prime minister’s vision of ‘good neighborly relations’ with India and other countries. To a question, the spokesman said that Pakistan released 87 Indian prisoners and would release more of them who had completed their sentences. He, however, said that India released only four Pakistanis.Answering another question, the spokesperson said that Pakistan was committed to counterterrorism efforts. Pakistan was not the only country facing the menace of terrorism; this scourge was a challenge for the regional countries and it had become a global phenomenon. He said that Pakistan supported all efforts for elimination of terrorism and extremism. He said that Pakistan cooperated with the international community to root out this menace.
Mean while the founder president of Diplomatic Correspondent Forum of Pakistan (DFCP)Asghar Ali Mubarak durring a meeting wished H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria Zakarai all the best in his new assignment.H.E. Mr.Muhammad Nafees Zakaria took over the charge as the new spokesperson of the Foreign Office, replacing Qazi Khalilullah who has been appointed as Pakistan’s new ambassador to Russia.Nafees Zakaria has many diplomatic assignments to his credit abroad took over his new assignment with the weekly briefing of the media at the Foreign Office.Zakaria’s last assignment was as Consul General of Pakistan at Toronto Canada from Dec 12 to July 14. Earlier he served as Minister Political, Consul General and Deputy High Commissioner at London.Before joining his career at the Foreign Office he was an aeronautical engineer and served at Pakistani missions at Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Bangkok. He also attended a National Security and War Course at National Defence University and has earlier served as DG South Asia and SAARC, DG Europe, DG Services and DG Personnel.
