During his stay in Istanbul, the prime minister would also address a business conference being hosted by Pakistan to spotlight Pakistan’s trade and investment potential in priority areas, including the SEZs, energy, trade, Information Technology, and privatisation sectors
Saifullah Ansar
ISLAMABAD, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to undertake an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Turkiye from July 3-5, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday.
The spokesperson, at the weekly press briefing, said that the prime minister would be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and other cabinet ministers and senior officials.
He told the media that Prime Minister Shehbaz would travel to Iran first to participate in the funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei.
He said that the prime minister would convey condolences on behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in their hour of profound grief.
Later, he would proceed to Istanbul, Turkiye, at the invitation of the President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he would hold discussions on the entire gamut of bilateral relations with a special focus on giving impetus to bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The leadership meeting would also reflect on issues concerning regional peace and security, he added.
During his stay in Istanbul, the prime minister would also address a business conference being hosted by Pakistan to spotlight Pakistan’s trade and investment potential in priority areas, including the SEZs, energy, trade, Information Technology, and privatisation sectors.
The spokesperson also touched upon the indirect US-Iran talks in Doha. Andrabi said that Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators, where “positive progress” was made on various aspects of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
He said that the parties agreed to continue the negotiation process and hold the next round of talks at the earliest opportunity.
“Pakistan, alongside Qatar, will continue to facilitate the negotiations,” he added.
The spokesperson added that DPM Dar remained engaged with the foreign ministers and senior leaders of Saudi Arabia, China, Bahrain, Iran, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Separately, Andrabi said that Afghanistan’s charge d’affaires was summoned to lodge a strong protest over the recent terrorist attack in Karachi, while Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul delivered a formal protest note to the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
Three Pakistan Rangers personnel embraced martyrdom, and four others were injured when militants belonging to an Indian proxy, Jamaat ul Ahrar, launched a coordinated attack on a Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi on Saturday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations. Three terrorists were killed, and an Afghan national was arrested in an injured condition.
Andarabi said that evidence showed Afghan nationals had been involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, terming the use of Afghan territory and citizens for such attacks as a matter of serious concern.
He further said action would be taken against Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan without valid visas or legal documentation.
Speaking about the international seminar on the Indus Waters Treaty held in Islamabad on Tuesday, Andrabi said that the participants stressed the importance of upholding the water agreement and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels.
He said that Pakistan also rejected India’s unilateral suspension of the treaty, while participants called for preventing the use of water as a weapon.
The spokesperson warned that any attempt to deprive a country of its shared water resources would pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.
