ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday told the National Assembly that it was a wrong perception that Pakistan’s foreign policy had failed and it was becoming isolated.
Winding up debate in the House on various cut motions of the opposition regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their criticism on the country’s foreign policy, the advisor said that Pakistan was pursuing a balanced policy of non-interference into the internal affairs of other countries and protection of its own national interests.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan was a confident and strong state as compared to other Muslims states due to its active foreign policy. Its entry into the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was very important, he added.
The advisor said that Pakistan had historical and cultural ties with Muslim countries and a few visits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to some Muslim states would have no effect on its (Pakistan’s) relations with them.
The foreign affairs advisor pointed out that Pakistan was making successful efforts to stop India’s entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The advisor said that Pakistan’s relations with Iran were heading in the right direction while “we are strictly following the policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.”
Pakistan, he said, was sincerely trying to maintain peace in Afghanistan and work on border management with the neighbouring country continued. The border management between the two countries was a must to check infiltration of terrorists and extremists, he stressed.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan was pursuing a modest and reasonable foreign policy in its meager resources. He said that the Foreign Ministry’s spending for the year 2016-17 was just Rs 15 billion against India’s Rs 115 billion.
Earlier, the opposition members criticized the foreign policy and allocation of more funds to Foreign Office in the budget.
