The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, delivered a strong message on Friday, emphasizing the importance of countries refraining from making comments on Pakistan’s domestic matters. Mumtaz asserted that Pakistan is well-equipped to handle its internal issues independently, stressing that banning political parties is an internal matter of Pakistan, as stated during a recent media briefing.
In response to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack on Bannu Cantt, Mumtaz revealed that Pakistan had expressed serious concerns to the Afghan interim government, expressing alarm over the use of Afghan territory for terrorism against Pakistan. The spokesperson urged the Afghan government to take immediate and effective action against the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group. Pakistan has also shared intelligence with Afghanistan regarding terrorist groups and maintains continuous communication with Afghan authorities.
Regarding immigration, Mumtaz clarified that Pakistan’s immigration laws are strict, resulting in daily deportations of illegal Afghan residents. She highlighted that currently, 44,000 Afghan citizens are awaiting relocation. Although the spokesperson was not aware of Malala Yousafzai’s recent statements on this issue, she expressed hope that Yousafzai would advocate for the expedited relocation of these refugees.
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The FO condemned the recent attack on a Shia mosque in Muscat on Muharram 9, denouncing it as a barbaric act of terrorism. Furthermore, Pakistan expressed solidarity with the victims and stressed the importance of collective action against terrorism.
In addition to this, Pakistan strongly condemned the Israeli attacks on Palestinian refugee camps, particularly the assault on Khan Younis camp, which led to the deaths of 19 Palestinians, labelling it as a violation of United Nations regulations.
Islamabad also denounced the arrests of participants in the Muharram processions in Srinagar and called for the immediate release of the detained mourners. They reaffirmed their political and moral support for the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
