Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahira Baloch has urged diplomats to adhere to diplomatic norms and etiquette as she refrained from commenting on the Supreme Court’s letter to the British High Commissioner Jane Marriott over her comments on “open society” and apex court’s ruling.

At the weekly press briefing on Friday, Baloch said that diplomats should exercise caution when commenting on Pakistan’s internal matters.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court registrar wrote a letter to the British high commissioner for her comments on the apex court’s controversial ruling.

In her speech, Marriott emphasised that democracy should never be taken for granted and that people should avoid being complacent. “Not all political parties were permitted to contest the elections, legal process was used to prevent some political parties from participation and the use of recognised party symbol,” the high commissioner had said in her speech at the conference.

In the letter, written on the instructions of Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, the court’s registrar, Jazeela Aslam, the Elections Act of 2017 required democracy within political parties through the holding of intra-party elections in order to discourage “autocracy, or even dictatorship”, within them.

“The Supreme Court reiterated what the law stipulated. Therefore the criticism with regard to this decision, with utmost respect, was unjustified,” the registrar wrote in her letter.

The Foreign Office spokesperson also spoke about other matters as well at the press briefing.

She added that the government had asked Afghanistan to arrest and handover over the perpetrators responsible for the terrorist attack in Bisham where five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani were killed.

On Thursday, Pakistan sought assistance from the interim Afghan government to apprehend the perpetrators of the March 26 terrorist attacks. Last week, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that Afghan soil was used in the Bisham attack.

“Pakistan remains committed to combating terrorist groups,” the FO spokesperson said.

When asked about the reported threat to Pakistan-India cricket match in the United States during the T20 World Cup, the spokesperson mentioned that concerns have been raised with the US authorities and they have been urged to ensure the safety of Pakistani citizens.

Baloch expressed hope that the European Union would also raise its voice in support of journalists in Gaza and the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The spokesperson stated that “Pakistan does not need advice from others to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities.”