Pakistan on Wednesday reaffirmed its commitment to dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East, as the Foreign Office said Islamabad was maintaining sustained engagement with the parties amid continuing regional tensions.
At the weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan was making all-out efforts to bring the concerned parties back to the negotiating table, stressing that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had paved the way for peace and stability.
He said that although the Islamabad MoU might not have been fully implemented, the parties would return to negotiations whenever “the rationality of dialogue” overcame the logic of escalation. Pakistan, he added, would continue using direct and indirect channels to offset spoilers and facilitate constructive dialogue on outstanding issues.
The spokesperson said Bahrain’s Foreign Minister had expressed his intention to visit Pakistan following a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on August 11. Dar welcomed the proposed visit and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue and diplomacy.
on August 7, remained the principal focus of the briefing. The summit brought together the leadership of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
Tahir Andrabi described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, signed during the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit as a natural step in the longstanding brotherly relations and strategic ties among the three countries. He said the accord reflected their shared commitment to strengthening collective security while promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond.
According to the spokesperson, the agreement was purely defensive in nature and would enable the three countries to make unified efforts to confront threats and security challenges.
Responding to question about whether Parliament and other stakeholders had been taken into confidence before the signing of the Makkah Accord, Mr. Andrabi categorically rejected the impression that the agreement had been concluded without following internal procedures.
He pointed out that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was the Leader of the House in the National Assembly and himself a signatory to the accord, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, an honorable member of the Upper House, was also present at the occasion. He said the agreement had been signed according to the wishes of the people, with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, along with Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, fully on board.
“There is no question of not taking any stakeholder on board,” the spokesperson said, adding that all internal procedures were followed in accordance with established rules and regulations.
He said DPM/FM Ishaq Dar, in a message to the nation on August 10, had described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as a historic milestone and credited Pakistan’s political, military and diplomatic leadership for helping bring the accord to fruition.
Meanwhile, he said Pakistan intensified its diplomatic contacts with regional and international partners. On August 10, Dar spoke separately with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait, discussing bilateral relations, regional developments, the Makkah Agreement and efforts to promote peace and stability.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also visiting Tehran for meetings with senior Iranian officials, with discussions expected to cover bilateral relations, security issues and regional developments.
He said the briefing also highlighted Pakistan-New Zealand political and economic engagement. The two countries held the fifth round of Political Consultations and third round of Joint Trade Committee meetings in Wellington on August 6. Discussions covered trade, investment, agriculture, livestock, information technology, education, counterterrorism and people-to-people ties. An Education Cooperation Arrangement was also signed.
On the Red Sea, Pakistan strongly condemned an attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandab area. Andrabi said three Pakistani nationals had been killed and another injured, according to information available to the government at the time.
Pakistan was coordinating with Saudi authorities and the internationally recognized Yemeni government to establish further details. Efforts were underway to retrieve and repatriate the remains of the deceased Pakistanis and provide medical assistance to the injured, the spokesperson added.
He said Pakistan supported freedom of navigation and maritime security in international waterways under international law and was a signatory to the maritime coalition announced by Saudi Arabia. Pakistan, he said, was ready to assist Saudi Arabia and other coalition partners in operationalizing the coalition’s communique to protect global supply chains and maritime traffic.
On India’s statements concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan categorically rejected what it called “baseless” allegations. Andrabi accused India of attempting to politicize recent developments in AJK and said New Delhi should instead address its own record in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
He reiterated Pakistan’s stated commitment to the fundamental rights and democratic freedoms of the people of AJK and to the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the economy, the spokesperson said Pakistan had successfully completed three reviews under its ongoing IMF programme, which he said was focused on structural reforms and improved fiscal management.
The spokesperson strongly condemned the attack on the non-combatant commercial vessel, stressing that such incidents endanger innocent lives, violate international law and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea. He said the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister had directed Pakistan’s mission in Riyadh to remain in contact with Saudi authorities and the internationally recognized government of Yemen to ascertain further details about the incident.
Andrabi said Pakistan was also coordinating with the concerned authorities for the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistanis and for providing necessary medical assistance to the injured national. He added that Pakistan supported freedom of navigation and maritime security in international waterways and was ready to assist Saudi Arabia and other partners in operationalizing the maritime coalition announced by Riyadh to safeguard global supply chains and maritime traffic.
