Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Thursday rejected “false media reports” regarding Saudi Arabia’s role in the assessment of Pakistan’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan.
The spokesperson “categorically rejected the story circulating on a segment of the media as false and baseless”, said a press release.
Earlier in the day, Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister’s focal person for digital media, tweeted that reports of ‘Saudi Arabia voting against Pakistan in FATF’ was fake news and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would issue a statement on this.
“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong fraternal ties and the two countries have always cooperated with each other on all matters of bilateral, regional and international importance,” said the statement by the spokesperson.
“Pakistan greatly values its relations with the brotherly Saudi Arabia and firmly rejects such malicious propaganda.”
Pakistan has warned India of a strong response in case of any misadventure. This was stated by Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri during his weekly news briefing in the federal capital.
The spokesperson said the Indian leadership must not underestimate the resolve of the Pakistani nation as well as the capacity, professionalism and level of preparedness of our battle-hardened Armed Forces.
He said the entire nation stands absolutely united against any ill designs by India. Zahid Hafeez said our advice to India would be to peacefully resolve disputes with the neighbors, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, for lasting peace in South Asia.
Responding to another question, the Spokesperson said we have seen the malicious and fabricated news reports and propaganda campaign in some sections of the Indian mainstream and social media, planting baseless stories about Pakistan.
He said such attempts by the Indian media on the behest of the Pakistan-obsessed BJP-RSS regime are reflective of a particular, though familiar, mindset. Needless to say that Indian media continues to hit new lows.
The spokesperson said India cannot wash away the truth about its own gross and systematic human rights violations in IIOJK and unabated anti-minorities policies and actions through peddling fake news and running its propaganda machinery overtime.
