Islamabad to assume SCO chairmanship; Field Marshal Munir’s Tehran visit part of independent peace initiative; Pakistan opposes unilateral sanctions on Iran
Pakistan on Thursday expressed readiness to initiate state-level dialogue and institutional coordination with Afghanistan, but made it clear that any meaningful engagement would depend on the Afghan Taliban taking tangible and verifiable action against terrorist groups using Afghan soil against Pakistan.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, addressing his weekly press briefing, said Kabul must ensure that its territory was not used to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan and fulfil its international commitments, including those made under the Doha framework.
“For any dialogue to take place, the Afghan Taliban must ensure that Afghan soil is not used to perpetrate terrorism against Pakistan,” he said, specifically identifying the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) among groups posing security concerns.
The spokesperson also referred to what Pakistan considers evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism emanating from Afghan territory, saying that if actions were undertaken at the behest of another country, Islamabad would be compelled to regard the groups involved as proxies.
Pakistan to Assume SCO Chairmanship
In a major diplomatic development, Andrabi announced that Pakistan would assume the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for a one-year term following the Council of Heads of State summit in Bishkek from August 31 to September 1.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the Bishkek summit, while Pakistan is scheduled to host the SCO summit in Islamabad in 2027.
The chairmanship is expected to provide Pakistan with an important platform to advance regional connectivity, economic cooperation, security coordination and counterterrorism initiatives.
Munir’s Tehran Visit Part of Pakistan’s Peace Efforts
Highlighting Islamabad’s role in efforts to defuse tensions between the United States and Iran, the spokesperson said Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited Tehran on August 24 to facilitate regional de-escalation and explore possibilities for a negotiated settlement.
He categorically rejected reports suggesting that Field Marshal Munir had travelled to Tehran as an envoy of the US President.
The visit, Andrabi stressed, was undertaken strictly in Pakistan’s independent capacity as a mediator.
Pakistan has also been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, whose stability is crucial for regional and international energy supplies and maritime trade.
On US economic measures against Iran, the spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s opposition to unilateral coercive measures imposed outside the United Nations framework, saying such steps were generally counterproductive.
He added that Pakistan remained committed to pursuing its bilateral trade relations with Iran in accordance with its national interests.
MJDA Open to Like-Minded Countries
Responding to a question regarding reported interest from countries, including Bangladesh, in joining the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), Andrabi described it as an evolving defensive security architecture open to countries sharing common security interests and collective obligations.
Any formal request for membership would be considered in consultation with Pakistan’s partners in Riyadh and Ankara, he said, adding that operationalisation of the agreement remained at an early stage.
Pakistan Rejects Indian Claims
The Foreign Office also rejected retrospective claims by a former Indian Chief of Defence Staff regarding the Kirana Hills incident.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s layered air-defence network had successfully thwarted Indian military objectives during Marka-e-Haq, maintaining that no strategic asset or sensitive infrastructure in Pakistan had been compromised.
He said subsequent attempts to reinterpret the events could not alter what Pakistan regarded as the verifiable operational record.
Pakistan has also lodged a strong diplomatic protest with Indian authorities over the unilateral demolition of consular facilities outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
Islamabad Steps Up Multilateral Diplomacy
The spokesperson said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar had held discussions with counterparts from Egypt, Türkiye, Kuwait, Mauritania, Uzbekistan and Brazil, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres, on bilateral and regional developments.
During his visit to the United Kingdom, Dar also met International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez and sought institutional assistance for the safe release of 10 Pakistani seafarers held captive by Somali pirates.
The government, Andrabi said, was actively pursuing their release despite the complexities surrounding the case.
Dar also engaged with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey and British-Pakistani parliamentarians on bilateral relations, Jammu and Kashmir and regional peace.
Pakistan Reaffirms Support for Palestine, Syria
Referring to the recent visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shabani to Islamabad, the spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Syria’s sovereignty and welcomed the lifting of international sanctions against the country.
Pakistan, he said, believed the Syrian people should be fully reintegrated into international economic, trade, cultural and tourism activities.
Islamabad also joined diplomatic statements condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, particularly the E1 settlement plan, as well as Israeli strikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur military base.
Andrabi reiterated that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank were illegal under international law and had been rejected through the United Nations system.
The spokesperson also announced that Pakistan had assumed the final presidency of the 2026 session of the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, while preparations were underway for the country’s participation in the forthcoming UN General Assembly session.
