Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has said that the gruesome murder of Khalistan Movement Sikh leader in Canada had jolted the West that raised serious questions about the role of Indian state.
Addressing a presser at the Pakistan Mission, the prime minister said that Pakistan had been a victim of such state-sponsored terrorism and shared evidences of ‘Pakistan centric’ at different global and multilateral fora about the role of Indian state. He said that it might be the first of its kind event probably after the First World War that an Asian country staged a physical murder on the European soil and its impacts were being felt across the Western countries who now realized how India was persecuting its minorities like Christians, Sikhs and Muslims.
The prime minister opined that an alliance should be formed to check such ‘rough behaviour’ of India. To another question, he said that he also held meetings with different business bodies in the US that showed interests in the economic revival plans in Pakistan, including privatization and SIFC.
He also termed his discussion with the IMF Managing Director very constructive, adding that she hoped that the upcoming mandated government would carry on the economic plan. To a query, he said that the caretaker government had conducted administrative intervention against the sugar and wheat mafias with effective measures.
There was no dearth of the commodities in the country as different edible items were readily available, however, prices of certain commodities were linked with the international prices, he added. The prime minister said that the caretaker government was striving to provide relief to the masses. The IMF was very appreciative of the interim government’s steps over illegal trade of dollars, he added.
The IMF did not demand anything, rather the caretaker government was giving them a confidence and would abide by the agreements, he said, adding that the upcoming elected government would further negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (MF) according to its manifesto.
About Afghanistan, the prime minister said that they had multifaceted engagements with the Afghan interim government and hoped the outcome of those engagements would be beneficial for the two countries. Responding to a question, he said that Pakistan would take all steps to protect its territory and people whenever any need arose.
He further said that Pakistan respected the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Afghanistan. About Pak-US ties, he said that they had very constructive historic relations which would be further strengthened. The Pakistani diaspora was contributing in the United States and playing their role in the community building.
The prime minister stressed that Pakistan had an exclusive identity and it should be seen through the prism of it rather than any other regional or other contexts.
About his meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, PM Kakar said that they had discussed the mutual priorities and held beneficial negotiations. The prime minister said that the State of Pakistan effectively responded to the Jaranwala incident. Contrarily, the Indian state acted as a spectator rather an accomplice in the Manipur violence in which hundreds of people were killed.
PM Kakar said he as well as the current Chief Justice of Pakistan visited Jaranwala and tried to mitigate the situation. The Army Chief also took a public position on the issue.
To a question, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan was mandated to hold the general elections and the final date would be announced soon. He said all the registered political parties had the right to take part in the polls as the ECP did not ban any party from the process. He assured that the caretaker government would carry out fair treatment to all the political parties.
Rubbishing the notion of any victimisation, the prime minister said anyone involved in the violence against the state would be dealt with under the law of the land as Pakistan was a sovereign state.
He said Pakistan wanted constructive engagement with Russia and both the countries had immense potential of enhanced economic cooperation. However, he said, Pakistan did not favour military solution to any conflict and instead advocated dialogue for settlement.
Prime Minister Kakar said that persecution of Muslims being carried out in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) was aptly described as “genocide”, which he also mentioned in his address at the United Nations General Assembly. He said thousands of Kashmiris had been killed and women were raped, besides the extrajudicial killing of the innocent people.
To another question, he said of around 5 million refugees in Pakistan, some 2.8 million were legal and the rest were without any legal document. Therefore, the government had decided to repatriate them and administrative intervention was being made for the purpose.
The prime minister rubbished the notion of an isolated Pakistan and said during his interactions with the world leaders, they had found growing interest of the world in Pakistan.
