Shahzad Akbar's claims 'simply preposterous', says FO spokesperson

• Pakistan reiterates full support to people of Palestine.
• Dar to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders in Gambia.
• Pakistan condemns India’s campaign of seizing Kashmiris' properties.

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday said claims of former adviser to prime minister Shahzad Akbar against institutes of Pakistan of attacking him were simply "preposterous".

"We categorically reject the allegations made by Shahzad Akbar against the state of Pakistan, its institutions and agencies. These claims are baseless and politically motivated. As we have said in the past safety and security of Pakistani nationals, wherever they are, are a matter of priority for Pakistan," said the FO spokesperson during her weekly press briefing. 

She said it was not the policy of Pakistan to target Pakistanis abroad. 

Baloch said several high profile political dissidents had been living in the United Kingdom for several decades but Pakistan had not engaged in any extra-territorial acts against these individuals, despite the fact that those individuals had often been indulged in vitriol against Pakistan. 

"Some of them have (even) maintained links with terrorist entities inside Pakistan," she said. 

The former adviser to prime minister Imran Khan, Akbar has initiated legal action against the Pakistani government over an acid attack that left him "scarred for life".

Acid was thrown at his face when he opened his door to a caller at his home in England’s Royston town on November 26, 2023.

He believes only his glasses, and his slamming the door shut prevented him from being blinded.

On April 29, Akbar served a copy of his legal action to the Pakistan High Commission in London. It names several Pakistan government officials as responsible for the attack.

Akbar claimed in the letter the government of Pakistan was behind the attack, which happened in front of his young child, and has left him scarred and with psychological injuries.

He sent the Pakistani government a letter outlining the claim that he intends to bring against it at the High Court in London.

The ex-minister, aged 46, was an adviser to Imran Khan until three months before the prime minister was ousted in April 2022.

Disruption of German envoy's speech a 'time for reflection': FO

Addressing the press conference, the FO spokesperson lamented the incident faced by German Ambassador Alfred Grannas during an event in Lahore.

“The exchange between the German Ambassador and students is regrettable,” she said.

Baloch also highlighted that "participants" who disrupted the speech of the German envoy "wanted to exercise their fundamental right to speech at an event" honouring the memory of late Asma Jahangir.

The spokesperson added that Jahangir was an "icon of democracy and human rights in Pakistan" who stood for "freedom of expression and opinion" throughout her life.

"The ongoing genocide in Gaza has distressed people and heightened passions around the world, including in Pakistan. We hope this weekend's incident will be a time for reflection and would trigger a constructive dialogue on selectivity and double standards on human rights issues," said Baloch. 

The German envoy on April 27 was booed by pro-Palestine protestors for coming onto the podium to deliver a speech on civil rights at the Asma Jahangir Conference 2024.

Representatives of the Progressive Students’ Collective and Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted Grannas’ speech as soon as he started speaking during the annual conference, the theme of which this year was 'The People's Mandate: Safeguarding Civil Rights in South Asia'.

As Grannas started speaking, one of the guests at the event, an activist, who was standing in the middle of the conference hall, said: "Excuse me Mr ambassador. Excuse me. I'm shocked by your audacity that you are here to talk about civil rights."

The activist also questioned the envoy about his government's complicity in the ongoing genocide, as his speech was largely aimed at exploring the state of human and civil rights in South Asia, including Pakistan.

"Why your country is brutally abusing the people speaking for the rights of Palestinians," the activist said, addressing the German envoy.

Ambassador Grannas, who was visibly taken aback, began shouting while asking the protesters not to shout. He also gestured at the students while waving his left hand in the air, asking them to "go out".

"If you want to shout, go out, and there you can shout because shouting is not a discussion. That it is [sic]... if you want to discuss...," the envoy said, soon after which the conference went off-air for a while on a digital media platform’s YouTube channel.

However, the speech by Ambassador Grannas resumed in a matter of few minutes.

Pakistan condemns Israel’s increasing settlements in West Bank

Moving on to Gaza, Baloch said the Israeli occupation forces continued to take illegal steps in the West Bank in violation of international law.

“Pakistan condemns the rising violations of human rights by Israel and the increasing number of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Israel’s actions constitute a breach of international law, including humanitarian laws and United Nations and OIC resolutions. These acts also undermine any prospects of a two-state solution,” she remarked.

She called for the international community’s efforts to prevent Israel from committing egregious crimes in Palestine and UN Security Council to impose an immediate prominent ceasefire, urge Israel to lift the siege of Gaza, facilitate humanitarian assistance, protect the civilians, and hold the perpetrators of the genocide accountable.

Reiterating Pakistan’s full support to the people of Palestine, she called for the establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Israel was relentlessly committing human rights violations in Gaza, she said adding that no attack in Rafah would be accepted.

“The global community should compel Israel to end Gaza’s besiegement and the UN Security Council should take measures in this regard,” she said. She also said the massacre of innocent people by the Israeli forces should be investigated.

Apprising the media of the ongoing visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Gambia to attend the Council of Foreign Ministers and the OIC Summit, the spokesperson said that at the Summit, Pakistan would highlight the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the right to self-determination of Kashmiris, the imperatives of solidarity and unity of the Muslim Ummah, rising Islamophobia, issues of climate change, terrorism, and other contemporary global challenges.

On the sidelines, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister would hold bilateral meetings with leaders and foreign ministers participating in the summit.

Pakistan will also underline the need to find collective solutions to challenges confronting Muslim Ummah, she added.

India's campaign of seizing Kashmiris' properties destined to fail: FO

Pakistan reiterated that the ongoing Indian campaign of attacking and seizing the properties of the Kashmiris in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) was destined to fail, just like its colonial strategies and harsh statements.

“Pakistan strongly condemns India’s continued campaign of attacking and seizing the properties of Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The reality is that the harsh statements and colonial strategies have been unsuccessful in quelling the determination of Kashmiris for freedom, and these measures are destined to face similar outcomes in the future,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

She reiterated Pakistan’s determination to continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to Kashmiris for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council’s resolutions.

As different parts of the IIOJK recently witnessed heavy rains, flash floods, and landslides, resulting in loss of life and property, the spokesperson expressed sympathies with the victims of these national calamities and prayed for the eternal peace of the deceased and wished speedy recovery to the injured.