Pakistan to keep 'national interests' supreme in global realignments.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take steps only to further its national interests against the backdrop of regional and international realignments that put China and the US as well as China and India at odds with each other, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri told reporters it was natural for countries to realign themselves in accordance with the changing global realities and politics.

"Regarding China-Pakistan friendship, we are 'all weather friends' with a deep strategic understanding on core issues of national interest to both the countries. Cooperation between Pakistan and China in all areas continues to grow to the mutual benefit of the two countries," he added.

The spokesperson said that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi recently visited China, where all aspects of bilateral cooperation were brought under discussion, and further strengthening of bilateral ties was agreed upon.

"Pakistan will take every such step that will further its national interests," the spokesperson stated, while responding to the question as to which side Pakistan would take if there was a tussle between China and the US and its allies, including India.

China's increasing economic clout is also paving way for realignments in the Middle East. The $400 billion strategic pact between China and Iran also raised eyebrows in many Arab countries.

This has put Pakistan in a difficult situation as being part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Pakistan is naturally aligned with China and its ventures with other countries. However, Pakistan's Arab friends are not happy with the development and are reportedly pushing the country to stay away from the Chinese camp.

On the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the spokesperson said Pakistan was implementing "the FATF Action Plan since 2018 and we have made significant progress" in this regard.

"Our entire AML/CFT regime has been revamped in compliance of the action plan to bring it to the international standards set by FATF," he informed the reporters.

The inhuman military siege, communications blockade, media blackout and continued restrictions on all forms of freedom of the Kashmiri people in IIOJK continue unabated for 395 days, the Foreign Office observed.

It maintained that in further acts of unabated state terrorism over the past one week, the Indian occupation forces martyred 20 more Kashmiris, in fake and staged encounters. Over 300...