ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Tuesday rubbished as ‘misleading and sensationalised’ a report by the CBS News, claiming wrongfully that Pakistan had “quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields”.
“Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace,” said the Foreign Office.
It pointed out that following the ceasefire (between Iran and the United States), and during the initial round of Islamabad talks, several aircraft from both countries arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams and administrative staff associated with the talks process.
“Some aircraft and support personnel remained temporarily in Pakistan in anticipation of subsequent rounds of engagement. Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued. In this context, visits by the Iranian foreign minister to Islamabad were facilitated through the existing logistical and administrative arrangements,” the statement added.
Interestingly, there have been no such complaints from the United States government which is aware of the background of the presence of Iranian aircraft flying into Islamabad and the fact that after the ceasefire some Iranian aircraft are still parked in Pakistan.
The CBS News claimed that the movements of Iranian aircraft reflected an apparent effort to insulate some of Iran’s remaining military and aviation assets from the expanding conflict, even as officials publicly served as brokers for de-escalation.
Among the military hardware, the report claimed was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft.
In response to these reckless accusations, the Foreign Office responded, “The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading and entirely detached from the factual context”.
Pakistan, the Foreign Office asserted, had consistently acted as an impartial, constructive and responsible facilitator in support of dialogue and de-escalation. “In line with this role, Pakistan has extended routine logistical and administrative support where required, while maintaining full transparency and regular communication with all relevant parties. Pakistan remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions and advancing regional and global peace, stability and security,” the Foreign Office added.
