Pakistan against any attempt to topple Bashar al-Assad (unexpected but right stand !

[batmannow]

Dawn News
Syrian crisis: Pakistan against any attempt to topple Bashar al-Assad - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

• MATEEN HAIDER — PUBLISHED 10 MINUTES AGO
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  ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday stated that it is against any attempt to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.
  
  "Pakistan is also against foreign military intervention in Syria and fully supports the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” said Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry.
  
  It is pertinent to mention that since the start of the Syrian conflict, Pakistan had maintained a policy of strict neutrality. The statement from the foreign secretary marks a significant shift in Pakistan's policy on the ongoing Syrian crisis.
  
  The foreign secretary was speaking at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, which met earlier at Parliament House in Islamabad.
  
  Pakistan’s stance on finding a peaceful solution for the Syrian crisis was also reiterated on the occasion.
  
  Read: A flawed alliance
  
  Earlier, the adviser to prime minister on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, had told the Senate that the exclusion of some Islamic countries from the Saudi-led 34-nation anti-terror alliance will be discussed at international level.
  
  Pakistan was named as part of the Saudi-led 34-nation anti-terror alliance meant to combat terrorism, without first getting its consent, and found itself in the crosshairs of Middle Eastern politics.
  
  Later, after initial ambiguity, the Pakistan government confirmed its participation in a Saudi-led military alliance for ‘fighting terrorism’, but said the scope of its participation would be defined after Riyadh shared the details of the coalition it was assembling.
  
  The Saudi government surprised many countries by announcing that it had forged a coalition for coordinating and supporting military operations against terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. The headquarters of the new Saudi-led coalition would be based in Riyadh.
  
  Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Bajwa had also stated earlier in November that Pakistan will not send its troops for any mission outside the region.
  
  This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has named Pakistan as part of its military alliances without Islamabad’s knowledge and consent. The Saudis earlier named Pakistan as part of the coalition that carried out operations in Yemen and a Pakistani flag was displayed at the alliance’s media centre.
  
  Pakistan later declined to join the Yemen war.
  
  

 

[Mrc]

Try making any sense of that now

 

[CHD]

well if its true then Pakistan has offcially ditched middles east and USA and joined Russia/china club

 

[saiyan0321]

That's a bit of a foreign policy disaster... We just alienated and pissed off some powerful countries... Tbh we should have remained neutral and quite. By making this statement we just pushed back the GCC, america and Europe who were stating that ASSAD must go.

I hope we somehow retract the statement or claim nobody said it bcz it needs some repair work. Foreign policy is not dictated by what is right or wrong but by whatvis beneficial for us.

I just can't see the pros in this statement and find more cons than pros.

 

[CHD]

That's a bit of a foreign policy disaster... We just alienated and pissed off some powerful countries... Tbh we should have remained neutral and quite. By making this statement we just pushed back the GCC, america and Europe who were stating that ASSAD must go.

I hope we somehow retract the statement or claim nobody said it bcz it needs some repair work. Foreign policy is not dictated by what is right or wrong but by whatvis beneficial for us.

I just can't see the pros in this statement and find more cons than pros.

what kind of current benefits we are having from GCC?There are sitting on trillion dollars reserves and Pakistan has been at war for almost 10 years now.Did they ever said that we are gona help Pakistan in this fight and stabalise its economy or help it buy some defence products

 

[saiyan0321]

what kind of current benefits we are having from GCC?There are sitting on trillion dollars reserves and Pakistan has been at war for almost 10 years now.Did they ever said that we are gona help Pakistan in this fight and stabalise its economy or help it buy some defence products

No we don't get benefits at the level that we should but we do get some benefits.. However alienation is poor foreign policy... Even if you don't like somebody you should make sure to keep cordial relations... Assad means nothing to us but it means the world to USA Europe and middle east GCC. So such a statement makes no sense. Its just another snub that has no pros. The Yemen war snub had pros that were important to be looked at but this is useless. It just further showcases how childish Pakistan can be when it comes to foreign policy. Staying quite is more important in the Syria issue and only commenting on ISIS. The regime toppling and rebels are not our concern.

This statement is going to further piss off a few something we can't afford right now. Look at India. Their foreign policy is amazing. They are cozying with GCC while have amazing relations with Iran and are Russia's best friend while cozying with USA.

 

[CHD]

No we don't get benefits at the level that we should but we do get some benefits.. However alienation is poor foreign policy... Even if you don't like somebody you should make sure to keep cordial relations... Assad means nothing to us but it means the world to USA Europe and middle east GCC. So such a statement makes no sense. Its just another snub that has no pros. The Yemen war snub had pros that were important to be looked at but this is useless. It just further showcases how childish Pakistan can be when it comes to foreign policy. Staying quite is more important in the Syria issue and only commenting on ISIS. The regime toppling and rebels are not our concern.

This statement is going to further piss off a few something we can't afford right now. Look at India. Their foreign policy is amazing. They are cozying with GCC while have amazing relations with Iran and are Russia's best friend while cozying with USA.

We are not opposing them, we are just saying we dont any part of it

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Toppling governments by Supplying weapons is not an art we are known for

 

[Leviza]

No we don't get benefits at the level that we should but we do get some benefits.. However alienation is poor foreign policy... Even if you don't like somebody you should make sure to keep cordial relations... Assad means nothing to us but it means the world to USA Europe and middle east GCC. So such a statement makes no sense. Its just another snub that has no pros. The Yemen war snub had pros that were important to be looked at but this is useless. It just further showcases how childish Pakistan can be when it comes to foreign policy. Staying quite is more important in the Syria issue and only commenting on ISIS. The regime toppling and rebels are not our concern.

This statement is going to further piss off a few something we can't afford right now. Look at India. Their foreign policy is amazing. They are cozying with GCC while have amazing relations with Iran and are Russia's best friend while cozying with USA.

I think its the right step to take,..

See what happened to Iraq, Libya and other countries where these powers tried to change the rulers over night ... the mistakes should not be repeated again and again .. this shows some other agenda is in focus ...

change should come over time and by the will of people not at the hand of armies eliminating every working department , law & order and by supporting rebels as most of the criminals basicaylly join them to enjoy the power and results are in form of what we have in iraq and libya ..

we have taken the right steps and being powerful country in Muslim nations, we need to have strong say ...

GCC and Saudia depends on Pakistan for every war they engage themselves in, so we need to have upper hand and stop them where we see they need to back off...

 

[farhan_9909]

So Pakistan will support Assad genocide of syrian people along with iran and russia

but as expected from this govt

 

[Bratva]

So Pakistan will support Assad genocide of syrian people along with iran and russia

but as expected from this govt

At this point, There is no alternative leader. Take libya for example. Did the toppled leader were able to unify country after Qazzafi demise ?

Assad ahs just become the Saddam of Syria. Just as Saddam was known as butcher of Shias, but was a necessary devil to keep the country unified. Assad will play a similar role

 

[omega supremme]

Syria is not any problem to Pakistan and much far away so of course it is to tell all the countries that we are not going to support anything in regards to any engagement with Syria and it's a good policy as Syria is also a muslim country we would like it better if the matter is solved peacefully

 

[HRK]

this is not the first time Pakistan took such stance .... Pakistani Ambassador to Syria also gave similar statement few month back .... following are some of the Statements by

1- Pakistani President dated October 5, 2015

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Mamnoon Hussain has said that atrocities and destruction carried out by the terrorist organizations in Syria and elsewhere are strongly condemnable.

“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the president said while talking to Air Marshal (retd) Athar Hussain Bukhari ambassador-designate to Syria in Islamabad on Monday.

In his meeting with Hussain Bukhari, President Mamnoon said that Pakistan has consistently called for protection of the sovereignty of Syria, cessation of hostilities and violence by all sides.

The president underscored that Pakistan always seeks friendly and enhanced relations in all fields with Syria.

Pakistan condemns atrocities in Syria: Mamnoon Hussain Dispatch News Desk

2- Pakistani Ambassador to Syria dated October 6, 2015

Commenting on the best solution to Syria situation, the diplomat said, 'It is the right of Syrian people and not anyone else to decide about their country and government. Even if they want to change their government, it is up to them and it is only their right to do that and not anybody else and this is the formal stance of Pakistan regarding best solution to Syria situation.

“The best solution to the crisis in Syria is a political one which includes the opinions of all Syrian people and whatever is the outcome of the people’s demand, will be the best solution and the right way to end the ongoing unrest in Syria,” said Athar Hussain Bukhari

syriatimes.sy - Russia Helps Fighting Terrorists in Syria - Pakistan New Envoy to Syria

3- Press Briefing by Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated October 8, 2015

Question: What is Pakistan's official comment regarding Russian air strikes in Syria. These air strikes have also been supported by Egypt. (Mateen Haider- Dawn News)

Answer: Pakistan has a principled position on Syria based on neutrality, impartiality and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria. We are concerned at the continuing bloodshed in Syria. We believe that Syrian government and opposition groups should exercise restraint and settle their differences peacefully. Pakistan supports all efforts employed at facilitating a peaceful Syrian-led and inclusive solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people through a comprehensive political dialogue.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Islamabad, Pakistan

4- Pakistani Ambassador to Syria dated December 22, 2015

DAMUSCUS: Pakistan ambassador in Syria Syed Athar Hussain Bokhari has called on Syrian interior minister and the two have talked on a set of issues, including intelligence sharing about terrorists.

Pakistan ambassador Syed Athar Hussain Bokhari met Syrian interior minister today. Certain important matters, including bilateral relations between the two countries came under discussion during the meeting. Pakistan ambassador said Pakistan was ready to share important information about terrorists with Syria. Both the countries are facing terrorism. There is need that all should together accelerate efforts to combat terrorism, he added.

Pakistani ambassador in Syria calls on Syrian interior minister

This make two things very clear form Pakistani point of view about the Syrian issue:

1-Pakistani stance is consistence, just & in accordance with the undisputed principle of SOVEREIGNTY & TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY of STATE

2- We are against the Terrorism, so will continue to support the effort of International Alliance to curb this evil.

 

[Winchester]

No one likes Assad here

But Pakistan as a matter of principle doesn't like foreign sponsored regime change nor changing of borders

Pakistan even opposed the toppling of Qaddafi

This is for good reason as these decisions could have repercussions for us in the long term

Remember two of our neighbors lay claim to our territory

Here is another example of this policy

Pakistan reluctantly recognizing the new state of Kosovo only after Turkish pressure even though its a Muslim state

Pakistan recognises Kosovo - Pakistan - DAWN.COM

"Islamabad had supported Kosovo’s cause in the United Nations.

However, it always shied away from officially recognising it because of implications of such a move.

The unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo was seen as a precedent for resolving ethnic conflicts on considerations other than territorial integrity of countries. It was also feared that the Kosovo principle could at a subsequent stage be applied to other separatist movements."


Pakistanis here who have their whole world view centered around Iran and Saudi Arabia need to recognize this

 

[Erhabi]

What a stupid statement. Who give this asshole right to speak on behalf of Pakistani nation? I hope Nawaz Sharif just fire this big old mouth before he further damages our relation with GCC.