Summary Tasnim Aslam says that PTI and PAT sit-ins are an internal political matter.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) — Foreign office spokesperson on Thursday said that protest sit-ins staged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) are an internal political matter of Pakistan, Dunya News reported. The dates of Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan have not been announced yet, said the foreign office spokesperson.
In a regular briefing to media in Islamabad, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tasnim Aslam Khan said that the PTI and PAT sit-ins are fundamentally an internal political matter of Pakistan. Other countries that have analyzed the current political situation of Pakistan have also termed it as an internal matter of Pakistan, she added.
Referring to China as ‘a good friend’ of Pakistan, Tasnim Aslam said that the dates for the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping have not been announced yet. She said that the visit by President Jinping was on schedule and was not being cancelled or postponed. She confirmed that a high-level team comprising security and protocol of the Chinese President has arrived in Pakistan and held meetings with the Foreign Office in order to finalize the visit.
Tasnim Aslam strongly denied published reports that indicated Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), commonly known as Diash’s activities in Pakistan, adding that the army is carrying out an indiscriminate military action against the militants in North Waziristan. It is worth mentioning here that there have been reports stating that Islamic State (IS) was making inroads into the northwestern tribal regions of Pakistan. As per media reports, several pamphlets were distributed by IS in Peshawar and border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, urging local people to support the struggle for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
Talking about India-Pakistan dialogue, she told the media that the secretary-level bilateral talks between the two countries were called off and no new dates have been proposed for any meeting in future.
She informed that President of Sri Lanka cancelled his visit to Pakistan because of the ongoing protest sit-ins staged by PTI and PAT. She also said that measures have been taken to maintain security of the foreign embassies located in the Red Zone of Islamabad where thousands of protesters have gathered demanding resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
