Pakistan has responded to positive calls from Bangladesh to end hostile bilateral relations.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Thursday (September 5) that cooperation between the two countries will further contribute to peace and friendship in the region.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press conference that Pakistan has always said that it wants to have strong, multifaceted, friendly relations with Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an important partner and brotherly Muslim country for Pakistan.
Baloch said, ‘There is immense goodwill between the people of our two countries and we want our bilateral relations to be more prosperous. We believe that cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh will further contribute to peace and friendship in the region and contribute to the further development of SAARC as a strong organisation.’
He said this in response to a question raised about a statement by Bangladesh’s interim government’s foreign affairs adviser who said last Wednesday, “Bangladesh is ending hostile relations with Pakistan.”
The comments came after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule ended in violent protests across Bangladesh in August this year.
Meanwhile, he declined to comment in response to another question about Iran’s expected move to international arbitration against Pakistan’s failure to proceed with the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. He said, this problem is being tackled through the Ministry of Petroleum.
Baloch said, “They have the lead on this issue and will be in a better position to share the details of Pakistan’s position on this particular issue.” I would also like to specifically mention that Pakistan is engaging with Iran to resolve any issues that may arise from time to time.
He also declined to comment on a State Department spokesman’s statement about possible US sanctions on the IP gas pipeline project. He said that Pakistan has an ongoing dialogue with the United States on Pakistan’s energy security and in this context the two countries discussed various aspects of Pakistan’s energy security including renewable energy sources.
Asked for his comments on Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s recent statement to increase cooperation with China in various fields, he said Pakistan and China have always been strategic cooperative partners and their relationship is multi-faceted. That cooperation continues in various fields, including agriculture.
Meanwhile, in response to another question on whether Pakistan had ‘clear evidence’ of India’s funding of the recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan, the spokesperson said the recent terror attacks in Pakistan were condemnable and the government of Pakistan was fully committed to fight against the terrorists involved in these attacks.
Source: Business Recorder.com
