No pressure on country’s nuclear programme: FO

ISLAMABAD, Oct 30 (APP): Pakistan on Friday dismissed any pressure on
its nuclear programme and said the country was a responsible nuclear state and it was for deterrence only.
This was stated by Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah here at
the Foreign Office, during the weekly briefing.
The Spokesman regretted that India was aggravating the conventional
arms balance in the region through its acqusition of latest weapons from across the world.
Responding to a question about the ongoing purchase of weapons by
India he said Pakistan has repeatedly stressed that conventional
imbalance would aggravate situation in the region. He said strategic
stability in the region was vital for peace and stability.
The spokesman also urged the international community to take note of
the terrorist activities of the Indian Hindu extremist group Shiv Shena. He reiterated Pakistan’s concerns over its activities.
Referring to the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation, the spokesman said
there was a positive feedback as Pakistan was taking action against all groups of terrorists, without making any distinction between good and bad terrorists. He said the world at large has acknowledged the success of the operation and its results.
The spokesman termed terrorism a common threat to the world peace and
said the international community needs to adopt a cooperative approach to counter this threat.
Referring to Pakistan – Saudi Arabia defence ties, he said the
two countries have wide ranging cooperation in many areas including defence and security.
The spokesman said the joint military exercise between the two
countries was focused on Pakistan-Saudi Arabia anti-terrorism training of their special forces. He said the joint exercise was conceived to hone skills of the their specialised combat units.
He voiced Pakistan’s deep concerns over the increasing threats to
regional peace and stability in the Palestine and Middle East. He
said Pakistan stands for political settlement of Syrian issue in a peaceful manner through dialogue, and according to the aspirations of the people of the country.
Qazi Khalilullah speaking about the Pakistan, Russia ties mentioned
the recent inking of an agreement to construct a US two billion dollar North South gas pipeline from Karachi to Lahore.
He said the two countries enjoy extensive cooperation in many areas
and hoped that their ties would further expand with the planned visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pakistan.
The Foreign Office Spokesman denied any footprints of Daish in
Pakistan. He said Pakistan was also cooperating with Afghanistan in
countering terrorism and if needed the two countries can undertake a coordinated action.
Referring to the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the spokesman
said Pakistan was supportive of the dialogue process between the Afghanistan Government and the Taliban and it was in this regard that it hosted their meeting in Pakistan. He said Pakistan stands for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The spokesman to a question said Pakistan desires strong ties with
Iran in all fields of mutual interest. He said withdrawal of sanctions on Iran would open new opportunities and increase interaction between the two countries. He said Pakistan desires that the deep sea ports of Chahbahar and Gwadar ports complement each other.
Referring to the Monday’s earthquake that measures 8.1 on the Richter
scale said the United Nations and a number of countries offered assistance to Pakistan. He said Pakistan was grateful for their support and solidarity and added the Government was tackling the situation from its own resources.
He said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif and offered condolences over loss of lives and assistance. He said the Prime Minister thanked the Indian Prime Minister for his gesture.