Says no change in principled position on Palestine; India not cooperating with Pakistani courts on Kulbhushan issue
our correspondent
ISLAMABAD
Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry has said that there is no rift in the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Addressing the weekly news briefing here on Thursday, he said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed unique relations, deep rooted in religion, culture and social ties.
The spokesperson said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks on the subject in his recent media engagement and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s just concluded visit to Saudi Arabia testify to the unchanged fraternal relations and close contacts between the two brotherly countries.
He said the two countries have strong economic, political, security and military cooperation at all levels. He said the visit by Prime Minister Imran Khan and the landmark visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last year have further cemented bilateral relations and provided new avenues of cooperation in trade, investment and other fields.
The spokesperson said Pakistan values Saudi Arabia’s important role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
Answering a question about the agreement between the UAE and Israel for normalization of relations, the spokesperson said there is no change in Pakistan’s principled position on Palestine.
He said Pakistan has abiding commitment to full realization of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination for a just, comprehensive and long-lasting peace.
He said Pakistan has consistently supported a two-state solution in accordance with UNSC and OIC resolutions as well as international law with pre-1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of Palestine.
As for recent development, the spokesperson said Pakistan’s approach will be guided by its evaluation of how Palestinians’ rights and aspirations are upheld and how regional peace and security and stability are preserved.
To another question, the spokesperson said the OIC Contact Group has held four meetings on the Kashmir issue since India’s unilateral and illegal actions on August 5 last year. He said the OIC has been condemning the Indian human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and also calling for resolution of the dispute under the UN resolutions.
Responding to a question about Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, the spokesperson said India is not cooperating with the Pakistani courts.
