Pakistan voiced its worries about numerous events in India on Thursday, The News said, referring to the illicit sale of weapons-grade uranium, inadequate regulation, and the potential of a black market for nuclear materials.
Instead of resorting to false and typical anti-Pakistan rhetoric, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri told the media that India should conduct a serious and transparent investigation into the issue.
Chaudhri was surprised the Indian External Ministry’s spokesperson said that Pakistan was attempting to defame India.
The incident took place in India and was reported by its own media. The charges were also framed by the Indian Police. I, therefore, wonder as to what made the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ spokesperson believe that it depicted Pakistan’s desperation to malign India,” questioned the spokesman.
He expressed Pakistan’s worry about recurrent attempts in India to sell uranium illegally. India must also take verifiable steps to enhance the security of its nuclear materials in order to meet its international responsibilities, he said.
In response to the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOJ&K), Chaudhri said that Pakistan will continue to assist Kashmiris in their fight for the realisation of their inherent right to self–determination.
According to the spokesperson, any additional actions by India will jeopardize regional peace and security. He also said that Pakistan has been reminding the United Nations Security Council of its duty for a peaceful and fair resolution of the Kashmir issue in line with relevant UNSC resolutions.
“We call upon the international community, including the United Nations, international human rights and humanitarian organizations, global media, and world parliaments, to take immediate cognizance of the situation,” he said.
Responding to a query about the case of RAW spy Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, the spokesman said: “Pakistan abides by all its international obligations, and this applies to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment in case of Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav. The legislative measures taken by Pakistan are only aimed at giving full effect to the ICJ judgment. The legislation or its purpose should not be, in any way, misconstrued”.
The spokesperson reiterated the country’s commitment to improving its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing system, without predicting the result of the Financial Action Task Force’s forthcoming plenary conference (FATF).
The conference will take place in the final week of June to assess Pakistan’s progress under the FATF Action Plan and make a conclusion, at a time when the nation has completed 26 of the 27 action plans.
“As you are aware, Pakistan has made significant strides during the implementation of the Action Plan through concerted national efforts. The tremendous progress made by Pakistan leading towards the conclusion of the Action Plan has been acknowledged by the FATF as well as the larger international community,” said the spokesman.
Regarding Pakistani visas in the UAE, Chaudhri said that the government has provided the most recent COVID-19 statistics with the UAE administration.
“We hope the UAE will review its COVID-related advisory for all Pakistanis soon. Currently, Pakistanis having diplomatic and official visas and UAE golden visas can travel,” he said.
Pakistan has also taken up the issue of vaccinates which are mandatory for travel to Saudi Arabia. “We have proposed inclusion of some of the Chinese vaccines used in Pakistan in the list of vaccines approved by the Saudi authorities,” he said.
