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Updated 31 Oct, 2024 07:16pm

Pakistan resolves to ensure security for Chinese nationals, says Foreign Office

Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to the security of Chinese nationals working on different projects in the country.

Pakistan was resolved to ensure the security for Chinese nationals in Pakistan and the commitment had also been conveyed to the top Chinese leadership, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly press briefing on Thursday.

The country has once again ruled out any talks with terrorist organisations, and reiterated its call for the interim Afghan government to act against the militant groups using Afghan soil to target Pakistan.

Pakistan rejected any offer or advice for talks with banned TTP as the country had done so on several occasions, she added.

Asked to comment on a statement by an Afghan diplomat in Islamabad, she said Afghan authorities had the responsibility to act against terror groups as Pakistan had also provided the pieces of evidence to the Afghan authorities. “This is not merely Pakistan’s demand but also the international community.”

The spokesperson condemned the recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Baalbek region resulting in the tragic loss of civilian lives, including women and children, and the displacement of over a million people.

While calling Israel’s action of dismantling the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) “unacceptable”, she said such acts were a manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to dehumanize the Palestinian people.

The spokesperson called upon the international community for an “immediate cessation of hostilities in Palestine and Lebanon”; protection of civilians; and unrestricted humanitarian access, besides ending Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza.

In her response on Pakistan’s membership to the multilateral forum of BRICS, she said Pakistan had shown its interest in joining the group as it promotes “inclusive multilateralism considering it fully eligible for its membership.”

While commenting on Indian extrajudicial killings of Sikhs abroad, she said Pakistan was bringing international attention to the “Indian terrorist activities and clandestine designs leading to extrajudicial killings abroad” and had urged the international community to force India to abstain from such efforts.

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On Dr Aafia Siddiqui case, she said as per the US laws a convicted person could file a mercy petition to the US president and Pakistan had supported her petition.

She added that the case of Dr Aafia was “special as it was close to the heart” of the people of Pakistan.

Moreover, Baloch said that the circumstances of her arrest, detention, and her trial had been debated in Pakistan and the government was following up the case in accordance with the public sentiments and the court directions.

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