ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that India does not want to raise the Kashmir issue in the Pak-India dialogue.
He said this condition was not acceptable to Pakistan. A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, headed by its Chairman Senator Haji Adeel, was held here on Monday to discuss Afghanistan’s visit of adviser to the PM, the Pak-Iran border issue and border clashes between Pakistan and India.
Sartaj Aziz informed the committee that Pakistan would work accordingly if India agreed to holding a referendum in Kashmir. He explained that Kashmir had no third option instead of Pakistan and India, according to the United Nations resolutions. The adviser to the premier said as many as 14 people lost their lives while 65 others were injured in firing of the Indian forces on the Line of Control (LoC). He stated that earlier India used to violate the LoC but this time it violated the Working Boundary.
Sartaj Aziz said India, giving reasons for the attack at the LoC and the Working Boundary, was claiming that Pakistan was helping terrorists to enter India. He said hardliners came into power in India this time and they contested the elections advocating enmity with Pakistan.
He stated that the London million march was successful, adding that they would have to use techniques including social media and other methods to highlight the Kashmir cause at international level.
Regarding Afghanistan, he said that the newly elected Afghan president, Professor Ashraf Ghani would visit Pakistan within two weeks.Briefing the committee, Sartaj Aziz said Afghanistan assured them that their relations with any country would not be based on Pakistan’s price.
Commenting on Pak-Iran border issues, the adviser to PM said Tehran had reservations with Islamabad on many issues and they didn’t work to resolve it.
In his view, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline agreement was signed in 2009 and it could be completed in 2010.He, however, said the project was not completed within due time and international restrictions were imposed in 2012. He informed the committee that Federal Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was going to visit Iran today (Tuesday) to discuss the matter.
According to him, the minister will discuss force majeure options. He said if they produce electricity with gas from Iran, they would not have to get periodic debts from the banks.“On the issue of Pak-Iran border, he told the committee that some groups are involved in the terrorist activities,†a statement from the Senate secretariat said.
During the meeting, Senator Farhatullah Babar pointed out that some Muslims were supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed said these were not normal incidents as India wanted to pressurise Pakistan through Kashmir policy.Senator Raja Zafarul Haq said Pakistan should highlight the Kashmir cause at international level with zeal and zest to make it prominent. (news agency).
