ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Wednesday said Pakistan took a cautious and neutral stance since the start of Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 and avoided taking sides.
It maintained that Pakistan continuously emphasised a negotiated solution to the conflict.
Despite speculations, Pakistan, as a matter of policy, does not supply arms to a region in conflict. It has not supplied nor does it intend to supply any arms to Ukraine.
These views were echoed by Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the UNSC during a briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.
“Regrettably the conflict in Ukraine continues to rage, upending the lives and livelihoods of millions over the course of the past almost four years. Pakistan has consistently expressed its profound concern over the impact that this conflict has had on regional and international security and the resulting immense human suffering,” said Jadoon.
His statement came in the wake of Ukraine and its European partners preparing to present the US with “refined documents” on a peace plan to end the war with Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted on Tuesday.
Pakistan asserts that it is ready to support all endeavours aimed at resolving the issue peacefully, and in a just, comprehensive and durable manner.
“We welcome the renewed momentum toward peace and diplomatic engagements, led by the United States. We call upon the parties to exercise restraint, demonstrate political will and earnestly engage for making meaningful strides toward a mutually acceptable settlement,” said Jadoon.
Meanwhile, as the Ukraine war rages on, for its part Pakistan emphasised that it was deeply perturbed by the continued fighting and targeting of civilians and civil infrastructure.
“As we have said in the past, protection of civilian lives and infrastructure is a legal obligation and should remain paramount. We reiterate our call for all sides to uphold the principles of international humanitarian law, including on the protection of humanitarian workers,” he added. Pakistan reiterated its principled stand that it remained an ardent supporter of peaceful resolution of this conflict. It has in fact, always advocated an early cessation of hostilities, de-escalation, and a sustained and meaningful dialogue, which addresses the legitimate security concerns of all sides to bring this protracted conflict to an end.
Jadoon emphasised that the final solution had to be acceptable to all relevant parties, grounded in the UN charter, international law and relevant multilateral agreements. “Towards this end, we hope that all sides would be guided by sagacity, mutual understanding and above all the imperative for saving millions from further suffering,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and the new UAE Ambassador Salem Mohammed Salem Al Zaabi, who called on him at the Foreign Office.
Without revealing details of the lengthy meeting, the Foreign Office said the foreign minister highlighted the importance of close Pak-US relations and discussed matters of mutual interest. They also discussed key regional and international developments.
In his discussions with the UAE ambassador, the foreign minister extended warm felicitations on the 54th Eid Al Etihad of the UAE, reaffirming the historic fraternal ties and strategic partnership between Pakistan and the UAE, which continue to grow across all domains.
