ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday rejected the report of a daily regarding sale of Pakistan embassies’ old buildings in Washington D.C and London.
He informed the House in a categorical term that although the buildings were laying vacant, but the government has no intention to sell them, terming the report “premature and
incorrect.”
Sartaj Aziz was responding to a calling attention notice
of Mushahid Hussain Syed regarding a front page story published
in the daily Dawn on October 22 about sale of government property
“Jinnah House” (former Embassy of Pakistan) located in Washington
D.C rather than converting the same into Jinnah House of Culture
to promote Pakistan’s soft image in the United States.
The Adviser said the PM had constituted a three-member committee
to look into the possible options for better use of the old embassy
building in Washington, and the government was waiting for its
report.
He said recommendations of the committee, whatsoever, would be
shared with the House. However, he said, the building could not be
utilized for commercial purpose due to the zoning regulations,
adding that it could not be converted into the Jinnah House of
Culture because of several implications.
Initial report of the committee had suggested that the
government could not fetch a good amount from the building sale
because it was not viable commercially.
He said different countries were approaching to hire the
building for setting up their embassies on rent.
No plan to sell Pakistan’s old embassy buildings in Washington, London: Sartaj
