TRANSCRIPT QUESTION & ANSWERS: PRESS BRIEFING MAY 03, 2012
This is a rush transcript. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated
Transcript Question & Answers: Press Briefing
I have two small announcements to make. Talks on Sir Creek will be held on 14-16 May 2012 in New Delhi and the next round of Interior Secretary level talks on Counter Terrorism and Counter Narcotics will be held on 24-25 May 2012 in Islamabad. If you have any question, you can ask please.
Question
Pakistan has a lot of issues to settle with India but about Siachen dialogue process which has stopped in the midway. Now, the situation all the more demands for a resolution. Do you see that the required level of seriousness in Islamabad and New Delhi persists?
Answer
Siachen, as you all know, is part of the dialogue process and is being discussed at the Defence Secretary level. We are discussing it with all the seriousness and sense of purpose. We want to resolve all issues through meaningful and result-oriented dialogue and Siachen is an issue which is a source of concern for both the countries. In fact every issue is being taken very seriously.
Question
There is a persistent impression from the United States that they are neither willing to apologize on the Salala check post incident, nor are they showing any willingness to stop the drones. There is a statement from the US President Obama that they respect our sovereignty and institutions, and then there is an other statement by his own policy adviser that the drones have a legal capacity under the international law. What do you think, US has made it an ego problem or otherwise, your comments please?
Answer
As far as drones are concerned, our position is very clear. We have repeatedly said that we regard drone attacks as illegal, counter productive, violative of our sovereignty and territorial integrity and, therefore, totally unacceptable. As regards other issues, we want to have normal and mutually beneficial relations with the United States. This is an important relationship but the contours of the relationship will be decided in accordance with the recommendations approved by the Parliament. We are engaging with the US at various levels with a view to come up with a mutually acceptable resolution to all issues. We want to resolve them in a way that is mutually beneficial, that ensures respect for our territorial integrity and, which is in accordance with parliamentary guidelines.
Question
Has President Zardari or any other leader of the government, civil or military, been invited to the Chicago summit. Whether the formal invitation to them has been extended or not? The second part of the question is, we have been hearing from the media for last one week that Marc Grossman is again visiting Pakistan in a week’s time which is probably in a day or two. Can you elaborate that what is creating hurdles in normalcy of the relationship in spite of the intense efforts by the US, is it the issue of drones or something else which remains unresolved?
Answer
I am not going to get into specifics of these issues. I will not get into what they said and we said. In fact let me go back to Marc Grossman’s recent visit to Pakistan, I think it provided a good opportunity to discuss all issues. The idea was to share our views and our perspective on various issues we are trying to deal with. As I have already said, it is an important relationship and both sides are keen and desirous of resolving their issues in a mutually acceptable way.
On the Chicago summit, no decision has yet been taken.
Question
On one side you say drones are unacceptable, on the other side US is not ready to render an apology and we are seeking a mutually acceptable solution. When there are two extreme views, how would this gap be bridged? Is there any specific proposal floated from any side to bridge this gap?
Answer
This is where diplomacy plays its role.
Question
Why is it that yesterday US President Obama has declared Afghanistan as the “important non-NATO ally of the US” and back in 2004 their Defence Secretary declared Pakistan as the “major non-NATO ally of the US”. Can you elaborate that why our governments seek this status from the US and how would you define the status of important and major non-NATO ally? My other question is about Pak-India relations. The recent private visit of President Zardari to India seems to develop a friendly atmosphere between the two countries. According to the media sources, Pakistan is going to extend the Most Favoured Nation status to India by the end of this year. How would you see it in a larger perspective?
Answer
Let me answer your second question first. Yes, President Zardari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a very good meeting in New Delhi and they discussed all bilateral issues. They also underlined the importance of finding a pragmatic and practical solution to all issues including Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek and of course, trade related issues. We are working on granting India the “MFN” status which basically means having normal trade relations with India. This is a process, this is not a particular point which we are talking about. We are committed to complete this process by the end of this year. But there are some expectations from our side also, particularly about eliminating non-trade barriers which we feel are hindering Pakistan’s exports to India.
Regarding your first question, I will not be able to give you a definitional answer, basically by declaring a major or important ally, you are trying to underline a fact that you enjoy close defence and security relations with a particular country.
Question
My question is regarding the routine feed back from the Pakistan Missions abroad. Are there any news that any country is reluctant to deal with the present regime in Pakistan, especially after the apex court has convicted the Prime Minister and opposition is not ready to accept him as a Prime Minister?
Answer
No, no country is reluctant to deal with us.
Question
Pakistan has condemned the drone attacks, probably for the first time. Does it indicate any major policy shift and will we be able to shoot down any drone in some point in time in future?
Answer
This is not the first time that we have condemned a drone attack. We have always been condemning drone attacks and our policy on drones is very clear.
Question
Are the governments of US and Pakistan considering a middle way when it comes to drone attacks? Is there any intelligence sharing between the two countries expected as regard to drones? My second question is, how Pakistan would respond to the US-Afghanistan strategic agreement which allows US to stay in the region for another 10 years.
Answer
Regarding your first question, we are willing to look at other alternatives, other than the drone attacks. We are open to new ideas and suggestions. Regarding the US-Afghanistan strategic agreement, Afghanistan is an independent country. It is for the government and the people of Afghanistan, to decide as to what kind of relationship they want to have with the US or any other country. We are willing to support any agreement or arrangement which is solely focused on peace, stability and prosperity of Afghanistan, has clear cut goals and transparent strategy.
Question
Can there be any intelligence sharing on drones possible between Pakistan and the US?
Answer
As I have said, we are willing to explore other possibilities except drones. No compromise on drone attacks.
Question
Previously, Siachen and Sir Creek were being discussed simultaneously. It seems that now you have separated the two issues for discussion with India?
Answer
No, it is not so, the two issues have always been discussed separately.
Question
My question is about the Chicago summit. There was an important meeting in the President’s House yesterday which was also attended by the Chief of Army Staff and according to the reports, it has been decided that the President will represent Pakistan in the Chicago summit and it has been published in the news today, quoting to the Defence Minister. Your comments please?
Answer
Actually the discussions, we are referring to, are part of the process that the DCC had initiated. As you remember all the relevant departments and institutions were asked to prepare a work plan for the effective implementation of the recommendations made by Parliament. So this is basically a part of those discussions. We have not really finalized the next steps yet.
Question
Regarding the Siachen issue, last week, it was being said that the dates for the discussions are being finalized but now we see that the dates of meetings between India and Pakistan have been announced are about Sir Creek and counter terrorism. Is the Siachen issue been put at the back burner due to the differences on the both sides?
Answer
We have not put the Siachen issue on the back burner. We are in the process of finalizing dates for talks on Siachen.
Question
I have a question regarding the Defence Minister’s statement published today that Pakistan was aware of the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and it has actually helped the United States in the operation against Obama. What is your point of view? My second question is regarding Marc Grossman ‘s statement that there has been a temporary disconnect in Pak-US relations. Your comments please?
Answer
Regarding your first question, I do not really have anything to say. The Defence Minister is the best person to respond to this question. Regarding your second question, we should not try to categorize the discussions with Grossman as failure or success, as I have already said, the purpose of the discussions with Grossman was to convey each other’s points of view and share perspectives on various issues of common concern.
Question
I want to ask whether Pakistan is going to continue with more military operations in the tribal belt and is Pakistan going to cooperate with the foreign forces for opening the ground lines of communication?
Answer
We are fighting terrorism and extremism in our own national interest. Nobody should doubt our resolve and determination on this account. We have made enormous sacrifices. Our sacrifices remain unparalleled and our resolve to fight this menace remains unshakeable. We are following a very well thought out strategy as to how to deal with this challenge and we expect understanding and patience from all our friends while we are dealing with it.
Question
For how long Pakistan will keep regretting and condemning the drone strikes instead of going out to safeguard its territory and borders. Do you have any red line that after how many drone attacks Pakistan forces will go out to defend its borders?
Answer
We have raised this issue with the US at various levels and we are trying to resolve this issue on a priority basis.
Page last updated on: Thursday, May 03, 2012
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