Pakistan condemns honouring of Indian Army officer Gogoi

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday condemned the honouring of an Indian Army officer who tied a civilian in Kashmir to a vehicle and used him as a human shield.

"Awarding Major Leetul Gogoi, who brazenly used a Kashmiri youth as a human shield, is condemnable. It is a crime and an insult to humanity," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria told reporters during the weekly briefing here.

The international community, particularly the UN should take cognizance of the act, he added. Gogoi, a Major in the 53 Rashtriya Rifles, has been honoured with the Army Chief's commendation card for his "sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations".

Zakaria said Kashmir should be demilitarised to implement UNSC resolutions so that the Kashmiri people could exercise their right to self determination. He accused India of perpetrating and financing terrorism in Pakistan, saying the confessional statement of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav confirms it.

Talking about the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in the Jadhav case, he said, "we are preparing for the case ahead of us, and don't have any specific details to share in this regard".

Zakaria said India has been trying to show that Pakistan has lost the first part of its battle at the ICJ. "This is the line Indian media is towing which is incorrect and misplaced. Why should you take this as a loss? Even those who were associated with it have not called it a loss," he said, adding that the order is a provisional measure that stayed execution of Jadhav pending the final verdict.

"The court has only stayed the execution, without ruling on the merits of the jurisdiction and maintainability of the case. In similar cases of the death penalty, the court has normally stayed the eminent executions as the court favours the right to life.

The court had been led to understand that the execution was imminent. Commander Jadhav can still avail the venues for appeal and clemency," Zakaria said. The stay order in no way prejudges the jurisdiction and merits of the case which are yet to be considered by the court, he said, adding that "hence, Indian claims of a victory in the case of commander Jadhav are incorrect and misleading".

Meanwhile, Zakaria said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad has not formally sought consular access to an Indian man reportedly arrested in Islamabad. "We have requested Ministry of Interior, which is the line ministry, for details. Indian High Commission has not requested for the consular access," he said.

Zakaria said that Pakistan has approached the Indian High Commissioner regarding retired army officer Colonel Habib Zahir who went missing in Nepal. "We are in touch with the Nepali government and we have also approached the Indian High Commissioner in this regard for assistance," he said.

On China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said it would bring benefits for the entire region and not just for Pakistan and China. He said several countries have expressed desire to join the project.

Zakaria supported Chinese Foreign Ministry's remarks that the admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group should be dealt with in accordance with the principle of consensus and through an open and transparent inter-governmental process while following the two-step approach.

"We believe that any criteria governing the membership of non-NPT states must be applied equitably while taking into account the non-proliferation goals and the imperative of maintaining strategic stability in South Asia," he added.