ISLAMABAD(National Times)-The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday termed claims that Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Iran as an \u201cenvoy\u201d of the United States \u201cmisleading and factually incorrect\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The army chief met the Iranian leadership<\/a> during his day-long visit to Tehran on August 24, undertaken<\/a> as part of Pakistan\u2019s diplomatic efforts to end the stalemate in the ongoing US-Iran conflict. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had also accompanied him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing a weekly press briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi noted that the discussions held during CDF Munir\u2019s visit to Tehran \u201cfocused on regional de-escalation, breaking the military stalemate and exploring a negotiated settlement to restore peace and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will also highlight that claims by certain quarters that the COAS and CDF visited Iran as envoy of President Trump or the US are misleading and factually incorrect, as his visit was undertaken purely in the context and backdrop of Pakistan\u2019s role as a mediator,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrabi asserted that the visit underscored Islamabad\u2019s \u201csincere and constructive role in bridging the difference between Washington and Tehran\u201d. He noted that the Iranian leadership appreciated Pakistan\u2019s efforts towards de-escalation and peaceful resolution of the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that Pakistan \u201cremains engaged alongside our brotherly countries in sincere and concerted efforts towards resolving the crises in the Middle East and Gulf and with respect to the standoff between the US and Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPakistan will continue to actively pursue diplomatic engagement and support all sincere efforts aimed at reviving the peace talks and achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution of the conflict,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked for a comment on the recent US plans for expansion of sanctions on countries doing business with Iran, Andrabi said Pakistan was \u201cfollowing international law and our bilateral trade agreements with Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs such, our trade remains in consonance with our obligations,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked about the US\u2019s \u201ceconomic war\u201d against Iran, Andrabi expressed Islamabad\u2019s hope that \u201call economic issues will also be settled in the long run\u201d as part of a wider settlement of the US-Iran standoff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides the CDF\u2019s visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also remained engaged with his counterparts on regional developments, Andrabi pointed out. He added that over the past two weeks, Dar spoke with Turkiye\u2019s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed<\/u><\/a> between the US and Iran in mid-June provided for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and left it up to Tehran and Muscat \u201cto define the future administration and maritime services\u201d in the waterway, in discussion with Gulf states and in line with international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the deal, which was supposed to pave the way for talks on permanently ending the war, has since fallen apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi visited Tehran on Tuesday, where he discussed<\/a> a framework agreement that would establish a \u201ctemporary corridor\u201d for shipping and a project to clear mines in the strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although there has been no clear breakthrough yet, and fundamental differences persist between Iran and the US, the latest diplomatic activity<\/a> has brought the political and technical dimensions of the dispute back into focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Iranian position, nevertheless, remains conditional as it continues to regard the Islamabad MoU as the appropriate framework, but wants Washington to demonstrate through concrete action that it is prepared to honour its commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responding to a query on Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani\u2019s reported remarks<\/a> on a proposed security mechanism, Andrabi said: \u201cPakistan notes the proposal by the interim Afghan government\u2019s interior minister for a dedicated mechanism to address contentious issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe remain open to state-level dialogue. However, the sustainability of any mechanism will depend on tangible actions rather than mere assurances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FO spokesperson emphasised that for any dialogue to take place, the Afghan Taliban must ensure that Afghan soil is not used to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKabul must honour its international commitments, including those under the Doha framework and ensure that Afghan soil is not used by hostile proxies, particularly the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Baloch Liberation Army, against Pakistan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrabi reiterated that Islamabad remained ready for \u201cinstitutional coordination provided it results in tangible and verifiable counterterrorism measures and effective border management\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the past few years<\/u><\/a>, Islamabad has repeatedly<\/u><\/a> urged<\/u><\/a> the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil that are used for attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replying to another question, the FO spokesperson rubbished claims<\/a> made by India\u2019s ex-defence chief, Anil Chauhan<\/a>, that an Indian Harop drone accidentally struck Kirana Hills near Sargodha during the May 2025 conflict after running critically low on fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe categorically reject the self-contradictory and retrospective claims made by the former Indian chief of defence staff regarding Kirana Hills,\u201d Andrabi maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He asserted that during the conflict, \u201cPakistan\u2019s layered air defence network effectively thwarted India\u2019s military objectives, while Pakistan\u2019s subsequent response under Operation Bunyanum Marsoos demonstrated our ability to impose cost across the conflict spectrum\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo strategic asset or sensitive infrastructure was compromised in Pakistan. Attempts to retrospectively recast these events through selective narrative or dramatised production cannot alter the verifiable operational record of May 2025,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FO spokesperson said that history is \u201cestablished by facts and evidence, not by Bollywood-style retrospective claims\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese post-facto punches, if I may call them, 16 or 17 months after the war would be better directed at their faces,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding a question about the removal of the structures outside Pakistan\u2019s High Commission in New Delhi, Andrabi said Islamabad has \u201claunched a strong protest\u201d and termed the act a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FO spokesperson noted that Indian \u201cauthorities used heavy machinery to demolish sheds, benches, and a walkway adjacent to the consular section\u201d of the High Commission. He added that the facility was used by those seeking consular assistance and visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pointed out that Indian actions against Pakistan\u2019s High Commission in New Delhi were initiated \u201cwithout prior notice, and therefore cannot be equated with the actions here in Islamabad\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAny attempt to link this incident to Islamabad\u2019s ongoing non-discriminatory anti-encroachment drive in the Diplomatic Enclave is misleading,\u201d Andrabi stated, noting that a notification was given to the Indian side but it \u201cfailed to remove such structures\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that the drive \u201ctargets unauthorised structures outside all diplomatic missions, not just India, in the Diplomatic Enclave\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked about Bangladesh\u2019s interest<\/a> in joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement<\/a> (MJDA) between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, the FO spokesperson said: \u201cAs an evolving security architecture, the MJDA remains open to countries who share their commitments to collective obligations and common security interests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\u2018Tangible actions\u2019 needed from Kabul rather than mere assurances: FO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>FO rejects former Indian defence chief\u2019s claims regarding 2025 conflict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Makkah pact an \u2018evolving security architecture\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n