ISLAMABAD
\nForeign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said Pakistan would not take a solo flight to recognize the interim government of Afghanistan and stressed reviewing the country\u2019s counter-terrorism policy to prevent the resurgence of militancy.
\nAt a press conference held on the six months of the government\u2019s foreign policy, he called the need for an \u201cin-camera review\u201d to reform the approach on counter-terrorism in a bid to prevent the factors that gave rise to militancy in the past.
\nAsked if peace in Afghanistan meant countering the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said it was important to internally review the policy. \u201cNever think that the matter of TTP is as black-and-white as either it would be war or negotiations with them,\u201d he said, highlighting that Pakistan in recent years had undergone a successful journey to eliminate terrorism and extremism from its soil.
\nHowever, he said, \u201cThere is nothing wrong with reexamining the approach on counter-terrorism viz-a-viz developments in the region\u201d. \u201cWhen we came to power, we decided to engage with Afghan authorities regardless of our differences for greater national interest. We won\u2019t take a solo flight on the matter of recognition of the Afghan government,\u201d he said.
\nOn closure of Chaman border, he said terrorist attacks on Pakistan\u2019s security forces from the Afghan side led to closure of the border and urged the Afghan government to take measures to not let their country\u2019s soil used against its neighbour.
\nHe said peace in Afghanistan was crucial for Pakistan and the region, and urged the international community to get engaged with the interim government of Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian crisis.
\nHe also called upon the authorities in Afghanistan to fulfill the pledges, especially related to human rights and women\u2019s education. He mentioned that the nation\u2019s whole-hearted support helped ending terrorism from the tribal areas including North Waziristan.
\nBilawal said the coalition government had put in good efforts to restore the foreign policy objectives by holding \u2018meaningful\u2019 high-level diplomatic engagements. He mentioned that the country\u2019s foreign policy was on positive trajectory to help achieve the goals of development by addressing important issues including counter-terrorism and security and economic cooperation.
\nHe said the government\u2019s focus was to prioritize the national interest and emphasized maintaining a balanced relationship and a positive outreach with all countries including the United States and China.
\nHe said the relations between Pakistan and the U.S. had been \u201cde-hyphenated\u201d. The foreign minister said persistent implementation of both action plans mainly countering money-laundering and terror-financing would remain high on the government\u2019s agenda.
\nHe mentioned that due to GSP Plus, the country\u2019s export outlook witnessed an exponential growth of 80 percent in recent times. The foreign minister said Pakistan was actively pursuing the activities at various international forums including the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Conference of Parties (COP27), G-77 etc.
\nAsked about the change in stance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan regarding the \u2018U.S. cipher conspiracy\u2019, he said, \u201cWe welcome the latest U-turn of Mr. Khan on leaving the American conspiracy behind\u201d.
\nHe stressed that there had never been a conspiracy by the United States as was earlier stated by Imran Khan. He said Pakistan and the U.S. enjoyed historic relationship in the interest of their people.
\nHe termed current political climate in the country \u2018a storm in the teacup\u2019, regretting the apathy of Imran Khan in the midst of several challenges faced by the country. The foreign minister emphasized focusing on \u2018trade instead of aid\u2019 with other countries to put the country on path of economic stability.
\nHe regretted that wrongdoings of the past resulted in agricultural and educational crisis in the country. Bilawal said Pakistan wanted a peaceful engagement with all neighbouring countries to ensure regional development and prosperity.
\nHowever, he pointed out the involvement of a neighbouring country in carrying out nefarious activities of terrorism in Balochistan. Regarding climate disaster affecting Pakistan, he stressed continued support at national and international level to minimize the catastrophic impact on economy.
\nOn Pak-Iran gas pipeline, he emphasized resolution of issues and hurdles through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) so as to get maximum benefit from the development project. He called for dialogue and diplomacy to address the common challenges of the world.
\nTerming the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif a \u2018traumatic incident\u2019, he said serious efforts were being made with regard to proper conclusion of the case. He said Pakistan People\u2019s Party always stressed prioritizing the issues pertaining to the citizens of Pakistan and rising above the politics in their interest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said Pakistan would not take a solo flight to recognize the interim government of Afghanistan and stressed reviewing the country\u2019s counter-terrorism policy to prevent the resurgence of militancy. At a press conference held on the six months of the government\u2019s foreign policy, he called the need for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[555],"class_list":{"0":"post-296012","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-bilawal-bhutto-zardari"},"yoast_head":"\n