‘Islamabad is aware of Indian conspiracies’

Pakistan said on Thursday that it was aware of Indian conspiracies to create instability in Karachi and Balochistan.

During a weekly pressbriefing, foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakariya said this “issue” will be raised at every international forum.

He said several arrests had been made after the detention of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav’s revelation. Instead of blame game, Indian must come to the table of talks in a positive way, he added.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that “India was ready for peace talks provided Pakistan stops supporting terrorists”, the spokesman said terrorism had affected Pakistan more than any other country of the world. To a question about issues discussed during telephonic call between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Mr Modi, he said: “It was all about exchanging wishes before the former’s heart surgery.” In March, Pakistan had detained the suspected spy, Kulbhushan Yadhav, in the violence-plagued province of Balochistan after he had illegally entered the country from Iran. Yadhav was working for India’s main external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). India has confirmed that the man was a former Indian navy official but denied the man was a spy. In video footage aired by the authorities, Yadhav said he had set up an office in Chabahar in southeast Iran in 2003 and later worked for the Indian agency. Mr Zakariya said sustainable civil nuclear energy was essential for Pakistan’s future energy security and economic development and a non-discriminatory approach by Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was imperative to ensure strategic balance in the region. “Any country’s specific exception will not be beneficial for non-proliferation regime which will affect strategic stability of South Asia and credibility of NSG itself,” he added. The spokesman said Pakistan’s application for membership of NSG stood on solid grounds of technical experience, capability and well-established commitment to nuclear safety. He said on NSG membership, Pakistan had a principle support of adoption of non-discriminatory, equitable and criteria-based approach, which was also supported by a large number of NSG participating governments. He mentioned that Pakistan had operated secured and safeguarded nuclear power plants for a period of over 42 years. Mr Zakariya said Pakistan’s membership of NSG was in the interest of nuclear training countries as it would further promote NSG non-proliferation objective by the equation of the state by the nuclear supplier’s capabilities and its adherence to NSG guidelines. About an agreement signed between Japan and India on building six nuclear power plants in Andhra Pradesh, he said Pakistan’s position was clear that it should not be any discriminatory treatment to a country which was not even party to the NPT. “This will further add to the reasons behind disturbing the strategic stability in the region,” he said. On the prospects of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) following the death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhter Mansour, the FO spokesperson said Pakistan had been making consistent efforts for peace in Afghanistan as it was in the interest of two countries. He confirmed that QCG was still functional and said Pakistan believed that politically viable solution was important for Afghan peace and stressed to avoid use of military force. “All parties should refrain from violence, since violence begets violence,” he said. Regarding the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against the drone strike by the family of the slain driver along with Mullah Mansour, he said it was their right to file grievance and judiciary is independent to take up the matter according to legal course. Mr Zakariya clarified that the deadline for Afghan refugees was June 30, 2016. However, a request from Afghanistan’s concerned ministry has been received in this regard, which is under consideration by the concerned department, the spokesman mentioned. He said the phenomenon of terrorism had resulted in loss of 60,000 lives of Pakistanis besides huge impact on the country’s economy. About the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the spokesperson said the project was of great economic significance for not only Pakistan and China, but for the entire region. He said CPEC was a flagship project which had six more programmes under the concept of ‘One Belt One Road’.