No talks going down between Pakistan govt and TTP: FO

Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch addresses a seminar on “Erasure of Muslim Identity of IIOJK& Genocide of Kashmiris to bring about Demographic Change” (Youm e Istehsal) organized by Friends of Kashmir at Kashmir House on Aug 5, 2023. — APP
International Workplace Spokesperson Ms. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch addresses a seminar on “Erasure of Muslim Id of IIOJK& Genocide of Kashmiris to result in Demographic Change” (Youm e Istehsal) organized by Buddies of Kashmir at Kashmir Home on Aug 5, 2023. — APP
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Islamabad, reiterating its “very clear” stance, has dominated out any talks going down with the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), stressing that Pakistan and China don’t have any agenda for engagement with the terrorist outfit.

“To start with, there is no such thing as a dialogue going down between the federal government of Pakistan and TTP,” International Workplace spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated, addressing a weekly information briefing in Islamabad on Friday.

“The place of Pakistan close to the dialogue with the TTP may be very clear and has been reiterated on a number of events. Secondly, Pakistan has stated on various events that the proposals to provoke talks with TTP, wherever they might come from, are an affront to the households of 1000’s of victims of terrorism.”

“Thirdly, there is no such thing as a such proposal on the agenda between Pakistan and China close to engagement with TTP,” she emphasised.

In March this yr, not less than six individuals, together with 5 Chinese language nationals, have been killed after a suicide bomber rammed right into a bus transporting employees engaged on the Dasu hydropower venture in Bisham, Shangla district.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Division (CTD) discovered the TTP behind the assault and arrested its 4 key terrorists.

This was the second assault within the final three years on Chinese language engineers working within the space. 

In July 2021, 13 individuals, together with 9 Chinese language nationals, two Frontier Constabulary personnel, and two locals, have been killed when their coach was bombed within the Dasu space of Kohistan.

Replying to a different query relating to a gathering between Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan and Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob in Afghanistan, the FO spokesperson stated that Pakistani diplomats hold in fixed contact with the Afghan officers.

“It’s the accountability of our diplomats primarily based in Afghanistan to have interaction with the officers and management of the Afghan interim authorities and the assembly of our head of mission in Kabul with the Protection Minister of Afghanistan was on this context,” she pressured.

The 2 sides mentioned issues of mutual curiosity, she stated, noting nonetheless, “I don’t imagine that we must be sharing particulars with the media concerning the discussions that happened on this assembly.”

Talking on the go to of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, she highlighted that the journey, made on the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, resulted in a number of complete agreements.

The 2 leaders signed a number of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) specializing in cooperation in environmental safety, catastrophe administration, halal commerce, monetary intelligence sharing, vocational schooling and science & expertise, Baloch remarked.

A key end result of the go to was the signing of the “Roadmap for Complete Cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus for 2025-2027”, she added.