Islamabad, Aug 19: In a snub to the European Union, Pakistan today said it has no plans to officially invite the grouping's monitoring mission to observe its forthcoming polls and rejected a request for special protection to the observers during their stay. Pakistan government has no plans to sign an MoU to officially invite the EU delegation nor there were is any necessity to provide extra security as urged by the EU mission in view of the attacks on westerners in Pakistan, foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan told reporters.
"They have expressed desire (to observe the polls). We have acceded to that. That is far more than others do. They do not even talk about it. Then whey don't they go and talk about the permission not being given to observe the polls in Kashmir", he said.
Khan said anybody who wants to observe polls in Pakistan could come on their own but his government has no plans to send any special invitations. "As far as arrangements of security are concerned, it is a group coming to observe the elections and normal security arrangements that are for every one in the country will be made at the time of the elections.
That is adequate and there is no need to provide any extraordinary or special facilities for the large number of observers who will be coming here", he said.
Asked whether Pakistan plans to invite Commonwealth, SAARC and OIC delegations to observe the polls, Khan said "I will have to check whether formal invitations are issued. Whether they (invitations) were required". Bureau Report