We don’t have a lot of time: Khawaja Asif

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday said that the country needs to alter and adjust its policy swiftly over the changing regional situation.

He dashed to China on Thursday, following the unprecedented declaration by BRICS earlier this week that called on Pakistan-based groups as a threat to regional security. “We don’t have a lot of time. There will be a policy shift,” he told a press conference in Islamabad without elaborating.

China joined a chorus of world leaders during the BRICS summit in declaring groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed as threats to regional security.

Altering situation

Mr. Asif said on Thursday: ”We are undergoing a seismic shift due to altering regional and world situation.” Earlier, a Foreign Office statement said that Mr. Asif will be leaving for China to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the State Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi. “The two sides will review bilateral relations and regional developments, including the situation in Afghanistan,” it stated.

In a separate interview with Geo TV earlier this week, Mr. Asif had admitted that Pakistan has to put its house in order.

He also presided over the concluding session of the envoys’ conference at the Foreign Office. Pakistan’s Ambassadors to major world capitals were called to Islamabad following the U.S. administration’s new policy announcement and the BRICS declaration.