ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz urged the Pakistani ambassadors to proactively protect Pakistani interests and project the country’s stance on vital issues.
He was addressing at the opening of an envoys’ conference on Monday. The Pakistani government has convened the three-day conference to chart a way out of the aggravating foreign policy crisis. This is the third such conference during the current government’s tenure. According to sources, it would likely focus on the foreign policy and its critical issues.
Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that nine Pakistani ambassadors accredited to various capitals and multilateral institutions are attending the conference. However, envoys to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia are not present.
Issues that would likely be taken up during the conference moot include relations with the United States, India – particularly in the Kashmir context, Afghanistan, China, Russia and the European Union. The upcoming SAARC summit, membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and the disarmament affairs, terrorism and UN-related matters are also likely to be on the agenda for the conference.
Discussions from the perspective of the upcoming presidential elections in the US and major international realignments currently under way would also be important. Zakaria said, “The envoy’s conference is a regular feature in which Pakistan’s representatives in various regions brief the government on important developments in their respective areas of accreditation, and challenges and opportunities arising out of such developments.”
The FO spokesman added that the envoys also present their recommendations regarding Pakistan’s current foreign policy with a view to review, adapt, and recalibrate policy in accordance with prevalent strategic, political and economic trends. The participants would also receive briefings from military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials, sources said.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would also attend the concluding session of the conference as was reported earlier by Daily Times. He would also be briefed by the ambassadors and share his vision for the country’s foreign policy.
Among the attending envoys are Ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani, Ambassador to China Masood Khalid, High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, Ambassador to UN Maleeha Lodhi, High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, Ambassador, Ambassador to Austria Ayesha Riyaz, Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi, Ambassador to Afghanistan Abrar Hussain, Ambassador Tehmina Janjua and Ambassador to Russia Qazi M Khalilullah.
