Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will embark on an official visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to participate in the Economic Cooperation Organization Summit commencing on next Wednesday.
At her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the prime minister, at the summit, would reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to ECO vision 2025 and promotion of cooperation in the areas of trade, transport, connectivity, energy, tourism and economic growth and productivity.
The prime minister will present Pakistan’s vision for the future work of the organisation and promotion of regional connectivity and mutual prosperity. The prime minister will also engage in bilateral discussions with the leadership of Uzbekistan and other participating leaders.
Expressing concerns over the dire situation in Gaza, the spokesperson said the UN Security Council must act and fulfill its responsibility of upholding peace. She said the world body must call for lifting the siege, protecting civilians and facilitating humanitarian corridors for provision of uninterrupted essential supplies to the beleaguered people of Gaza.
Alluding to the illegal foreigners’ repatriation plan, the foreign office spokesperson said this applies to all foreigners residing illegally in Pakistan irrespective of their nationality and country of origin. She said this process would continue in an orderly and phased manner.
She said this decision was in exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign domestic laws and compliant with applicable international norms and principles. She also clarified that it did not apply to individuals who enjoy refugee status.
When asked about the death sentence awarded to the retired Indian Naval Officers by a court in Qatar, the spokesperson said this testifies the presence of India’s network of espionage which has gone beyond South Asia.
