ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday denied rumors that it has joined “the China bloc” amid a worldwide power struggle between the United States and China.
“I would like to refute any such speculation that Pakistan has joined one bloc or the other. Pakistan has a consistent policy that we do not believe in bloc politics,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly press briefing here.
She said Pakistan had an “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership” with China. She noted that it was a relationship that had grown from strength to strength over the last several decades and both countries were committed to this relationship.
Similar to that, she stated that Pakistan has great ties with a vast number of nations in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa.
“The United States is Pakistan’s largest export market and one of its longest friends and partners. Perhaps older than Pakistan itself are our ties to the United States. Pakistani Americans serve as a bridge between Pakistan and the United States, and connections between the two countries are multifaceted with many areas of cooperation. We don’t want to pick sides or align ourselves with any particular bloc,” she declared.
In response to a query regarding a letter sent by more than 60 lawmakers to the US Secretary of State regarding violations of human rights in Pakistan, she stated: “We have read the letter. We disagree with the way the letter characterises the May 9 events and the state of affairs in Pakistan.”
She claimed that the National Security Committee had outlined the exact circumstances surrounding the May 9 incident. “Pakistan is still dedicated to upholding its constitutional mandate to safeguard the property and rights of all its citizens. Our judiciary is supporting these constitutional protections and fundamental rights,” she said.
