Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Hussain Andrabi, in response to the weekly media briefing, said Islamabad was on the diplomatic path to ease regional tensions. He said talks are ongoing with the relevant parties on the Strait of Hormuz, and Pakistan is facilitating talks as per past agreements made in Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and the Qatar Declaration.
The spokesperson harshly condemned the attacks launched by non-state actors against Saudi Arabia and stated that any country is entitled to self-defence according to Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. According to Saudi authorities’ information, he stated, several drones that targeted Riyadh and the Kingdom’s Eastern Province were intercepted. He also said that Pakistan was awaiting further details about the official response regarding Iraq’s official claim that attacks were from Iraqi land.
In response to Defence cooperation questions, Andrabi explained that the Pakistan-Kuwait Defence Cooperation Agreement is not comparable to Pakistan’s strategic defence partnership with Saudi Arabia. The agreement, first signed in June 2023 and now ratified by Kuwait, focuses on boosting military cooperation with joint exercises, professional training and collaboration in other defence areas. The agreement was an expression of over 40 years of comprehensive defence cooperation between Islamabad and Kuwait, he said.
In relation to Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring countries, the spokesperson said that the administrative procedure for the regular exchange of staff at their respective High Commissions with India has been completed. He said that the appointments have been made at the working level and not the ambassadorial level. Pakistan has also issued a considerable number of visas to pilgrims and others from India, and visas for regular Indians continue to be restricted. New numbers will be released later.
In reply to queries on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Andrabi said that Pakistan would make an official request to all the member states to attend its future meetings, as the participation of heads of state and heads of government would differ from one event of the SCO to another.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Office stated that the issue can be resolved as per the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and through a free and impartial plebiscite in the relevant area. The spokesperson said that actions of any local administration in the IOK cannot replace the internationally accepted resolutions, and it cannot change the status of the region.
He also stated that Pakistan is already addressing the recent remarks made by the Indian defence minister by stating that its stance on the Kargil conflict has remained unchanged, consistent and clear all along.
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