ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has asserted that the government was making complete efforts for Pakistan to be taken off the list since it was “a matter of importance to many Pakistanis”.
Addressing a post-Cabinet press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan had spoken to his British counterpart Boris Johnson, who believed that deliberations should be held over the testing mechanism in Pakistan.
“The UK government believes that there needs to be a discussion on Pakistan’s internal Covid-19 testing mechanism,” he said, adding that a detailed session will be held this week between Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan and Britain’s chief medical scientist.
“We are putting in all our efforts to have Pakistan moved out of UK’s red list,” the information minister said. Pakistan was retained on the red list, in the latest review of the country’s travel ban, despite a diplomatic offensive by several top government officials.
Referring to the Afghanistan situation, the minister said the air corridor opened to provide aid to Afghanistan would remain operational. He expressed hope that Afghanistan’s “40-year sad tale” would come to an end and Afghans would be able to take a “sigh of relief”.
Talking about the ongoing evacuation process, he said Pakistan’s role was being praised the world over, adding that “we will continue to help and extend our cooperation in the evacuation process.” He said all Pakistanis who wished to be repatriated had been evacuated from Afghanistan.
Regarding recognition of any new government in Afghanistan, he said “Pakistan’s policy was clear” that it would not take an isolated decision. “International and regional attitudes would be considered before a decision to recognise the new Afghan regime,” he added.
The Information Minister also said the solution to Pakistan’s problems was democracy, accepting the majority’s opinion and rule of law in a rebuff to PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s idea of a national government.
“The solution to Pakistan’s problems is democracy, accepting the majority’s decision and implementation of law. If the law is acted upon then Shehbaz Sharif will be in Adiala jail instead of Mazar-i-Quaid,” he added.
