Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Pakistan on Thursday announced that it is not going to become a party to the proposed Abraham Accords, while its decision on joining the International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza is still pending.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said this at his weekly press briefing. He also declared that Pakistan is “firmly opposed” to any interference in Iran’s internal affairs, stressing that the region cannot afford war or turmoil.
He said that Pakistan opposes the use of force against Iran. “We oppose the imposition of sanctions. Our advocacy for peace and diplomacy (with Iran and the United States) continues. This region cannot afford war and turmoil,” he emphasized.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan is closely monitoring the rising tensions in the region. Pakistan is committed to peace and stability in the region and strongly opposes the use of force and military aggression. We support the resolution of disputes through talks and diplomacy, he said.He added that Pakistan fully supports the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the nuclear issue, generally known as Iran nuclear deal), advocates the implementation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, and opposes the imposition of new sanctions on Iran.
Defending Pakistan decision to join Gaza’s Board of Peace (BOP), the spokesperson said the BOP does not replace the United Nations. “We have joined the BOP in good faith.” The BoP has been established with a specific mandate authorized by the UN Security Council resolution. “We understand that the Board is intended to complement and not undermine the UN system. Pakistan has not decided to join the International Stabilization Force and the membership of the Board of Peace does not imply contributing to troops to the ISF,” he clarified.
He said Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, and Qatar are included in the BOP. It was launched in September last year as a collective initiative. “It a ray of hope for Gaza and the Palestinian issue,” he remarked.
Pakistan hopes that the BoP framework will lead to concrete steps towards permanent ceasefire, expanded humanitarian assistance, the reconstruction of Gaza; and will advance Palestinians people’s right to self-determination through a credible, time bound political process in line with international legitimacy and the relevant UN resolutions; culminating in an independent, sovereign, contiguous state of Palestine.
Andrabi said that reports regarding a defence agreement between India and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) have been noted. “We do not comment on agreements between two sovereign states. Pakistan has brotherly and strong relations with the UAE,” he added.
He said that we have noted the reports regarding the proposed trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU). He said that that the GSP Plus scheme has proven beneficial for both Pakistan and the EU. Pakistan, he said, has already held detailed discussions on the future of GSP Plus during the strategic dialogue with the EU.
The spokesperson added said that a statement regarding the visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Pakistan will be issued soon. During the visit, the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) is expected. A Kazakhstan–Pakistan railway project is under consideration, which is expected to pass through Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Details regarding the level at which negotiations on the railway project are being held are not immediately available. If the project is included in the agenda, it will be clarified in the press release. Responding to a question, the FO spokesperson said that terrorism from Afghanistan has to stop. The Taliban regime has been previously stating that terrorism is limited to certain Pakistani individuals affiliated with the TTP. But we have seen these are actually the Afghan nationals who are committing terrorism in Pakistan. This reinforces our argument that the Afghan soil is being used to foment, plan and execute terrorist incidents in Pakistan.
Andrabi said Pakistan has always desired mutually beneficial relationship with Afghanistan in all areas of our engagement, including regional connectivity and realization of economic cooperation. However, the progress on these aspects remains contingent upon addressing Pakistan’s core concerns regarding terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. “I am afraid those core concerns are not being addressed by Afghan side. We cannot have a particularly optimistic pronouncement on the state of our bilateral relations with Afghanistan,” he said.
The spokesperson criticized the sham trial of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik who has been convicted of certain crimes which are basically aimed at penalizing his political activity in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We express our strongest reservations on the way the trial has been conducted, on the way the charges have been framed, and on the way the investigation process was conducted leading up to the sentences of Yasin Malik sahib