Clear, bold stance against extremism, for minorities rights speak of new Pakistan, changing trends: Ambassador

ISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (APP):Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Asad Majeed Khan has said that the clear and unambiguous stance of the leadership against extremism and its bold support for the minorities’ rights manifested a new Pakistan and changing trends there.

In an interview with US-based Defence One, a subsidiary of Atlantic Media, he said Pakistan had taken unprecedented steps against the proscribed entities and arrested individuals under specific, clear charges, which would automatically lead to the prosecution of the individuals who have been charged.

“So it is anything but cosmetic. Then just look at Pakistan’s internal security situation. I mean, last year was the lowest number of terrorist incidents in 13 years. International cricket is going to come back.

We will have our first test match after 2009. We had our National Cricket League also hold at least half of its matches in Pakistan.

The UN has already declared Islamabad as a family station once again,” he remarked.

He said all the said developments were not taking place in a vacuum and a result of some cosmetic stuff.

“I think we have gone after all these groups who were using our territory for one or the other reason. And it’s not just that.

I think even if you look at the measure, the very clear and unambiguous way in which our leadership has spoken against extremism, the boldness with which they have stood with the minorities on issues of concern to them, I think also speak of the new Pakistan and the changing trends in Pakistan,” the ambassador said.

Discussing the Kashmir situation, he said Narendar Modi’s actions of August 5, were the violation of the Indian constitution, UN Security Council resolutions, the bilateral agreements and understandings and declarations that the two countries have issued over the last 70 years.

He said by bifurcating the occupied Jammu and Kashmir into three territories India had allowed anyone to basically go into Kashmir and settle there, which was something that would change the demography of the state and then would impact whatever final disposition the residents and the subjects of the state of Kashmir would decide if this question were to be put to them, at some point in time.

He said for over a hundred days, the valley was in a lockdown and had not as yet allowed international observers, media or mainstream political leaders to go in.

“It’s like, someone, some day deciding here in Washington, D.C., that they want to split the state of New York into three constituent units,” he said.
He said India had actually put an additional 200,000 troops in an area which already was the most militarized zone in the world, with around 700,000 troops there already.

“About 900,000 troops for a population of 8 to 9 million Kashmiris clearly speak of the fact that the Indian government knew that their actions are not going to go down well.

And the fact that this has continued now for over a hundred days further confirms that people are not happy and they are in a state of civil disobedience in Kashmir,” Asad Majeed Khan said.

Asked whether Pakistan would increase its own troop presence, the ambassador said no, because Indian motivation in bringing in those additional reinforcements was actually designed to incarcerate a whole population.

For Pakistan, the deployments, which were obviously limited only to areas that were very close to the border, were designed to basically protect Pakistan against any possible or potential adventurism from across the border. He reiterated that Pakistan would not initiate anything.

“But if our territory or if our border is violated, we will be responding. So to basically summarize this, yes, we have to take measures to deal with the situation… But our deployment, first of all, would depend on what the situation is like on the Line of Control.

And any expansion in that would basically be made by the field commanders based on their assessment and understanding of what the situation is like on the Line of Control and the border. But our deployments are in no way comparable to what India has done in terms of numbers, and in terms of their motivation,” he said.

However, he said he could not rule out putting more troops along the Line of Control for defensive reasons but it was a determination that the military command would make based on their own reckoning and assessment of the threat.

“But whether that has actually taken place, I don’t think that has taken place, but that there is a potential for that,” he observed.

Asked to comment on AJK President Sardar Massoud Khan’s statement that Pakistanis might perform civil disobedience, or even violence involving asymmetrical weapons, against Indian forces, the ambassador referred to a statement made by Prime Minister Imran Khan that anyone crossing into Kashmir from Pakistan would be doing a disservice to the cause of Kashmir.

“Pakistan has…taken a slew of measures to, basically, go after anyone seeking to use our territory against any other country — be it India, be it Afghanistan, or be it any other country,” he said

To a question, he said there was absolutely no organized presence of any terrorist group in Pakistan today and the government was going after whatever remnants were there.

“There is a national campaign going on. So to that extent… there is growing appreciation internationally also — and even in the United States — of the steps that we have taken and the steps that we are committed to do even in future also,” the envoy commented.

He said during a couple of years, Pakistan had integrated its laws, including the fiscal, criminal, civil and all the laws that were applicable to counter terrorism. Besides, Pakistan had also built a fence on its border with Afghanistan.

Regarding Pakistan’s role in Afghan peace process, he said the country had done all that it could to facilitate the Afghan and US negotiations and it firmly believed that there would not be sustainable peace unless all Afghans were able to get to a common understanding and a common end.

He said Pakistan would like to see the US exit in a responsible way and it would not be in favor of precipitated withdrawal. And obviously the US presence in Afghanistan was something for the Afghan people to decide.

Asked about Pakistan’s reaction to the cyber warfare, he said this was a new form of warfare, which was taking place in different regions and between different countries.

“Obviously, this is a threat that we face from a country that is much bigger in size than us, a country that has far more resources and perhaps even more expertise in cyber. We are aware of these threats, and we are doing whatever is possible within our means and resources to combat those threats to the extent that we can,” he said.

In another comment, the ambassador said Pakistan’s extreme right or extreme groups had never been part of the political mainstream; but in India, unfortunately right now, their fringe had become the mainstream. [India’s Bharatiya Janata Party] actually represents that.

These actions one after the other, first what they did in Kashmir and which was partly motivated by their desire to get that one single state in the Indian union, which was a Muslim-majority state.

By breaking it up they had basically taken away that title and the status that Kashmir had before.

“The kind of terminology that they are using is, basically, bringing their extremist fringe into the mainstream.

That is going to be a long-term security threat for South Asia,” he added.