Pakistan Government

"We fully endorse the concern expressed by United Nations' Secretary General and the specific demands he made of the parties for an effective control of Iraq to act immediately to prevent further losses by protecting Iraq's archaeological and religious sites, museums and other cultural institutions… In this context, the government of Pakistan reiterates its concern for the sanctity and protection of all the holy sites and shrines in Iraq, in particular those in Najaf, Karbala and Baghdad, and for the early establishment of public order."

- Foreign Office spokesperson, Islamabad, April 16, 2003.

"He [US President George W. Bush] talks of the maintenance of higher moral values, but these values have to be amply demonstrated outside… There is a very strong feeling that the United States always has very limited and very short-term objectives… They talk of their own apprehensions, their own perceptions. Now at times they could be right, but at times their perceptions need to be right-sized. The overall strategy needs to be re-thought… The Iraq war hasn't helped to bridge the gap between the West and Muslim countries. Until these double standards are eliminated, the gap is going to get wider."

- Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, Interior Minister, Islamabad, April 14, 2003.

"A lot of plunder is going on in Iraqi cities and we are concerned about it."

- Aziz Ahemd Khan, Spokesperson, Foreign Office, Islamabad, April 14, 2003.

"We did not provide a shoulder to USA. Nor we provided water, petrol or any logistic support. But if you ask us to go and fight against USA in Iraq, we cannot do it. Because we are not foolish."

- Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Information Minister, Karachi, April 13, 2003.

"We will follow policy of the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq."

- Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Gujar Khan, April 13, 2003.

"Pakistan will naturally be interested in helping the Iraqi people once a proper government is established there."

- Shaukat Aziz, Finance Minister, Washington, April 13, 2003.

"Nothing is clear as yet. Everything is cloudy. Even the United Nations, the Arab League and other organisation are unclear about it. We are adopting wait and see policy. At this stage it is premature to say anything."

- Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Karachi, April 11, 2003.

"We want early end to hostilities. We want Iraqi people to have control of their country and we want UN to play a role."

- Aziz Ahmed Khan, Foreign Office Spokesperson, Islamabad, April 10, 2003.

"Pakistan cannot be next target. We have done no wrong to anybody and have not usurped right of anybody."

- Syed Anwar Mahmood, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Islamabad, April 7, 2003.

"We want immediate halt of war."

- Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Islamabad, April 7, 2003.

"How could Pakistan prevail on the US when the latter had not heeded to the advice of 190 countries (in choosing to attack Iraq)?"

- Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Lahore, April 4, 2003.

"Pakistan has played a very important role in the UN Security Council for sanctioning oil-for-food programme to Iraqi people… The rest of the region will have to face serious consequences if Iraq were disintegrated."

- Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, April 4, 2003.

"We oppose any move to divide Iraq or to re-map the region. This will have dangerous consequences for peace and stability in the region. The international community must move fast to address the grave humanitarian crisis in and around Iraq… "We should not allow the UN to become another League of Nations."

- Riaz Khokhar, Foreign Secretary, Berlin, April 4, 2003.

"It would be a blunder if India uses the attack over Iraq without the sanction of UN Security Council as a justification to invade any country… India will have to ponder over negotiations as Pakistan would no longer be impressed by any of its provocations."

- Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Federal Minister, Information and Media Development, Islamabad, April 2, 2003.

"The government of Pakistan has followed a mature policy on the issue of Iraq… The foreign policy is formulated in Pakistan, it is not formulated anywhere else… Of course, all policy decisions about the situation in Iraq were taken in Islamabad. The government and people of Pakistan are with our Iraqi brothers."

- Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, April 2, 2003.

"We are not the next target, as we are a responsible state."

- Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, April 1, 2003.

"As the US is not threatened by Pakistan, it need not to attack the subservient country."

- Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Lahore, March 31, 2003.

"The stand of France is clear that any action in Iraq must be under the UN and Pakistan has an identical stand and there is no difference between the two… The meeting with my French counterpart Sarkozy was important as both sides reiterated their stance on Iraq crisis and shared views about the situation arising out of US-UK attacks on Iraq."

- Faisal Saleh Hayat, Interior Minister, Islamabad, March 31, 2003.

"Pakistan is against this war and wants an early end to it as war only brings about devastation, destruction and miseries to the people and the country."

- Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Jafferabad, March 30, 2003.

"Pakistan was against war from the very beginning and tried its best to avert it."

- Khurshid Mehmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 28, 2003.

"The people and the government of Pakistan are deeply concerned about plight of the Iraqi people and the emerging humanitarian crisis in Iraq… While our prime objective is the restoration of peace in Iraq, Pakistan has also in all its bilateral contacts as well as in the discussions in the Security Council stressed on the need to address the humanitarian dimensions of the Iraqi situation… The primary responsibility for addressing the immediate and long-term needs of the Iraqi people rests with the parties involved in the military conflict."

- Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Islamabad, March 28, 2003.

"This is a war that was for 12 years in the making. It could have been prevented if the increasingly robust UN inspection regime, installed after the adoption of resolution 1441, had been allowed more time to secure the effective and verified elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction… Pakistan deplores the resort to the use of force. This was a war which Pakistan tried strenuously and sincerely to prevent. War has come again to the Gulf. War is not only the last option; it is an ugly option… The outbreak of this war was not due to the failure of the UN Security Council. The council did not endorse the war. The SC remains relevant to restoring the peace, containing the conflict, providing relief and restoring stability and the rule of law… In the midst of conflict, we must continue our collective efforts to search for ways in which peace can be restored."

- Munir Akram, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations, Washington, March 28, 2003.

"Aerial bombardment on Iraqi people is an inhuman incident that should come to stop."

- Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Islamabad, March 28, 2003.

"Pakistan has already stated that the war should stop immediately as precious human lives are being lost."

- Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Islamabad, March 27, 2003.

"We believe that war will not solve problems but increase difficulties and suffering of the Iraqi people… Pakistan along with China and other countries tried hard for a peaceful resolution of the problem… The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq must be preserved and its right over its national resources fully respected."

- Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Beijing, March 26, 2003.

"At this time of anguish and dismay for the people of Pakistan over the situation in Iraq, we have already deplored the initiation of military action against Iraq. We believe that United Nations must continue to play an important role in the current crisis in Iraq. We need to address urgently the gathering storm of a humanitarian crisis."

- Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Islamabad, March 26, 2003.

"No we do not support 'unilateralism.' We want all issues and matters to be resolved through the United Nations and (that) we fully support the United Nations Charter and accept its supremacy… Pakistan has already deplored the initiation of military action against Iraq. Despite our efforts for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq situation, hostilities have broken out in Iraq… Motivated by the objective of minimizing the suffering of the Iraqi people, we are playing a constructive role in the Security Council."

- Aziz Ahmad Khan, Spokesperson, Foreign Ministry, Islamabad, March 24, 2003.

"The government and people of Pakistan have reacted with deep anguish and dismay on the current situation in Iraq. We have already deplored the initiation of military action against Iraq… In view of the emerging and pressing problems which the international community now faces, it is imperative that the Security Council should address these issues so that the sufferings, pain and misery of the people of Iraq are brought to an early end."

- Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 22.

"… we need national consensus to meet this international crisis… Pakistan was a US ally against Taliban because they were not listening to world and their neighbours but now the invasion of Iraq held some different background. We are not going to act as a frontline state now."

- Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Defence Minister, Okara, March 21, 2003.

"Pakistan used several platforms to avert war in Iraq, including the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM), the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the Arab League and we regret war on Iraq… We had also subtly conveyed to the US that we would not be able to support its plans of launching a attack on Iraq. It was our stance that encouraged many other states to take a pro-Iraq stand… They [MMA] had been pressing the government not to vote in favour of the US in the UN while now the US did not need any vote on the issue. Now they (MMA) are taking out rallies. We will not stop them from taking out peaceful processions."

- Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister for Information and Media Development, Lahore, March 21, 2003.

"We don't want the destruction of Iraqi people. But the decisions had to be taken by the Iraqi leaders"

- Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Islamabad, March 20, 2003.

"Pakistan deplores the initiation of military action against Iraq… Whether they are 55 or 35 countries, we are certainly not among them and will never endorse any military action."

- Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 20, 2003.

"We have never supported war against Iraq, and we do not play a double game ... we are against war… In Security Council and outside, we had urged that the permanent members evolve a consensus as this was their traditional responsibility to ensure the unity of the Council, which would have been the best solution for resolving the Iraq crisis,"

- Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 20, 2003.

"We have no participation in it, but at the same time are ready to foil adventurism from any direction… Pakistan Navy would take no time to react, if any one in the garb of terrorism tried to assault on Pakistan's territory."

- Admiral Shahid Karimullah, Cchief of the Naval Staff, Karachi, March 20, 2003.

"There is no justification for this war…. I have said several times in the past and I say it again today… All people want peace… Can there be any Pakistani who wants war in Iraq. We have consistently opposed war on the issue and tried to remove differences within the international community (in the UN Security Council) even this last hour."

- Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 19, 2003.

"It is with a heavy heart that the government and people of Pakistan have received the news of imminent war in Iraq."

- Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 19, 2003.

"We had quietly made it clear to America that our vote (on the second resolution on Iraq in the UN) will not be with you."

- Sheikh Rashid, Information Minister, Islamabad, March 19, 2003.

"We, the treasury members and the opposition benches, have identical stand over Iraq issue. We are where Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, and other world countries are."

- Sheikh Rashid, Information Minister, Islamabad, March 19, 2003.

"We stand by our principled stand that the mater should be resolved peacefully. But we must only think of Pakistan at this critical juncture"

- Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister, Islamabad, March 18, 2003.

"We continue to urge all concerned to consider all options to still endeavour to bring about a peaceful solution of this problem."

- Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Foreign Minister, Islamabad, March 18, 2003.