ISLAMABAD, Apr 16 (dna):Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to help de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran, culminating in a ceasefire, have been widely acknowledged by world leaders. He reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to promoting regional peace.
At the weekly briefing, Andrabi said Pakistan’s constructive role in easing tensions between Washington and Tehran had received international recognition, reflecting its consistent focus on dialogue and stability. He noted that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan maintained open channels with both sides as part of its mediation efforts.
He said these efforts contributed to the ceasefire and facilitated peace talks in Islamabad, where delegations led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held more than 21 hours of intensive negotiations. The talks, he added, were supported by active engagement from the prime minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and the army chief.
Andrabi said the army chief had arrived in Iran a day earlier as part of ongoing diplomatic outreach, while the prime minister was undertaking a three-country regional visit from April 15 to 18 to strengthen bilateral ties and support peace initiatives.
He further said several global leaders, including Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, held telephone conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and appreciated Pakistan’s role in promoting regional stability.
Reiterating Pakistan’s commitment, Andrabi said the country would continue facilitating dialogue to advance peace and cooperation. He also condemned Israeli forces’ storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and aggression against Lebanon, calling such actions violations of international law and detrimental to regional stability.
On multilateral engagement, he said Pakistan participated in the 45th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS), where member states discussed evolving security challenges and emphasized enhanced counterterrorism cooperation. Pakistan, he added, will host the next SCO-RATS meeting later this year.
He also noted that senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt met in Islamabad to review cooperation under their four-country consultative framework and prepare recommendations for an upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting in Türkiye.
Responding to media queries, Andrabi expressed concern over reports of the promotion of Indian Army officer Prasad Shrikant Purohit, previously linked to the Samjhauta Express attack case. He said the move raised serious questions about India’s record on accountability and alleged state-sponsored terrorism, reiterating Pakistan’s demand that those responsible for the attack be brought to justice.
The spokesperson also voiced concern over rising crimes against minorities in India under the pretext of cow protection, urging Indian authorities to halt what he described as persecution of Muslims.
He further condemned ongoing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and rejected India’s delimitation process in the region, saying it aimed to alter its demographic structure. He termed the inclusion of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the framework as illegal and without legal basis.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding position, Andrabi said the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have an inalienable right to self-determination through a plebiscite, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.
