ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s efforts for peace between Iran and the United States are going on, the diplomatic exchanges and channels of communications remain open and the process of facilitation of talks between the two sides continues.
“As such, the status of talks now is that we remain actively engaged with both sides to achieve a resolution of this issue. The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. We remain hopeful of a negotiated settlement of this issue and we will continue our sincere efforts for the cause of peace and prosperity in the region and beyond,” said Tahir Andrabi, Spokesperson at the Foreign Office, at the weekly media briefing.
As Pakistan continues to pass messages from both sides, the spokesperson pointed out that momentum is generated as and when required by the relevant parties, when Pakistan receives a proposal or a counterproposal.
He welcomed President Trump’s suggestion to cut on travel time for direct talks between Iran and the US and rather connect through the telephone instead. “The question on travel time or whether the two sides can have discussions on telephone: We would welcome that development. In a sense, if the two parties can engage in real time direct conversation that could ease the sticking points, this would be a positive development. Pakistan’s role of facilitation would continue. We would welcome direct negotiations in a way that helps settle the situation. We would not resent such kind of a direct telephone exchange. In fact, we very much encourage that,” he said. Specifically on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz and the blockade, he explained that this is an important international shipping route for goods and energy and Pakistan has called for security of ships and crew members and the swift and safe passage of civilian ships and restoration of normal passage through the Strait. “Current situation is adversely impacting countries around the world, including the region and Pakistan. Its consequence for global regional and global economy are significant. So, we agree on the urgency of the situation and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Normalisation of the situation is an important issue for all of us, particularly for the littoral states of Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. We support the legitimate interest of the GCC countries in this regard. The final arrangement has to take into account the interest of our GCC brothers and other countries,” he said.
As far as proposals from the two sides are related, the spokesperson clarified that the proposals old, new, not so new, not so old, are on the table. “We understand that the main interlocutors, the parties to the conflict, are deliberating on these issues, in depth i.e. internal deliberations. There was an internal meeting in the United States on this earlier part of the weekend. News reports came out of it. I believe similar consultations are taking place in Tehran, also within Iran. We hope that peace will prevail. We hope for stable relations between Iran and the United States,” he added.
Turning to Afghanistan, the spokesperson said that the summoning of Pakistan’s Charge d’ Affaires is part of a familiar pattern of propaganda aimed at smoke screening the permissive environment provided by the Afghan Taliban for known terrorist organisations in Afghanistan. “This poses a serious threat to the regional peace and stability. Fact remains that Afghanistan is a safe haven for TTP/Fitnah Al Khawaraj, Fitnah Al Hind and their affiliates – under the watch of and facilitation of the Afghan Taliban regime. This has been widely recognised by regional countries, well corroborated by international reports, including the reports of UN Security Council. So, we obviously dismiss any propaganda done by the Afghan authorities in this regard,” he said.
Regarding the Urumqi talks, he said Pakistan’s demand in relation to Afghanistan is a one liner, simple quite straightforward – that Afghan territory should not be used to plan, sponsor and engineer attacks against Pakistan, including attacks by Afghan nationals. Responding to media reports on relations with the UAE, the spokesperson elaborated that there are 2.2 million Pakistanis living in UAE and contributing to the economy. “Any news of any targeting or profiling of Pakistanis for employment is untrue. There may be an element of rumour mongering to basically drive a wedge between brotherly countries of Pakistan and the UAE. There was a news report on this subject. Pakistan and UAE are brotherly countries, supportive of each other. We have been supporting each other bilaterally, multilaterally, and this positive spirit must continue. As regards Shia Muslims, we should not be paying heed to such speculative and rumour mongering reports,” he said.
Pakistan expressed serious concern over the re-arrest and continued extension of a three-decade-old case against distinguished Kashmiri leader Shabir Ahmad Shah and called upon India to end the sham trial. Pakistan also strongly condemned the illegal and illegitimate actions of Indian occupation forces in connection with the reported ban and sealing of Jamia Siraj-ul-Uloom under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Updating on 61 Pakistanis detained in Cambodia, the spokesperson said that they are in good health. “We also checked about the presence of their passports, national status. So, most of them came on valid tourist visas, but they were not supposed to work in Cambodia. Once the legal processes are complete, the return of the individuals will be swift,” he said.
Regarding 10 Pakistanis aboard an oil tanker in Somalia, the Foreign Ministry of Somalia has assured Pakistan that they are trying their best to ensure their safety and well-being. “They are in touch with the pirates and have sent us in writing that they are closely monitoring the situation, and they have assured us that any update or information received regarding the status of vessels and safety of the crew member will be shared,” he said.
