Russia on Thursday said any crackdown as well as ban on the international aid groups was Pakistan’s ‘internal matter’. “Banning of US, European INGOs by Pakistan is its internal matter and it’s not correct to comment on the issue,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in response to question by a Pakistani journalist about Russia’s stance on recent operation by Pakistani government against hostile INGOs – several of which are US and Europe based – for working against the country’s national interest. “However, I can confirm that in the recent past unfortunately in Russia several US/Europe based INGOs along with number of media houses were not undertaking the activities officially mandated to them,” she told a regular press briefing in Moscow. The response by Russia comes amid reports that Western nations, including the US and European countries, have written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan expressing ‘serious concerns’ over a crackdown on the aid groups. Envoys from the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Norway and Switzerland signed the letter. The European Union ambassador in Islamabad signed on behalf of the 17 EU countries with missions in Pakistan, including Britain and France.
Published in Daily Times, October 26th 2018.
