Pakistan reiterated its decades old stance in OIC Summit: FO

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Faisal Thursday said Pakistan had reiterated its stance in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit that had been its policy on Palestine issue for decades.
During his weekly press briefing here at foreign office, he said Pakistan would follow the decisions of OIC regarding the issue and work for their implementation.
He said according to the summit declaration, the OIC member states recognized Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital “under occupation”.
He said member states demanded that the US should immediately revisit its decision to avoid any repercussions in the region and beyond.
Dr Faisal said Pakistan had received response from India regarding visit of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife and they would come to Pakistan to meet him on December 25.
Replying to a question, he said Pakistan had submitted a comprehensive counter memorial document before the International Court of Justice regarding the Kulbhushan Jadhav case covering all legal aspects.
He said Pakistan had reservations about the ungoverned areas in Afghanistan that not only posing threat to stability of Afghanistan but security of the whole region as well.
“Over 43 percent area of Afghanistan is out of the control of Afghan government and attracts terrorist groups from across the world including ISIS”, he added.
He said the presence of ISIS was not only at Pak-Afghan border area but it was also spreading at Afghan-China border.
He said Pakistan expected that Afghan government and Resolute Support Mission would take action to bring those territories under control.
Replying to another query, he said Indian arms buildup had pushed region into arms race fomenting instability in the whole region.
He said China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the flagship project of Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. “Inclusion of other countries in the CPEC will be decided by mutual cooperation, Pakistan and China are working out modalities in this connection as many countries have expressed their interest in joining the project”, he added.
Replying to another question, he said Pakistan places great importance to the security of Chinese working in Pakistan and had taken strict measures regarding it.
Dr Faisal said, in 2017 alone Indian forces had carried out more than 1,300 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, resulting in the shahadats of 54 innocent civilians and injuries to 174 others, as compared to 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.
He also congratulated Pakistani cyclist Samar Khan who had become the first women to scale Africa’s highest Mountain Kilimanjaro on a bicycle.

Source: APP