Pakistan will play a role in promoting peace in Gaza but will not participate in efforts to disarm Hamas, the Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Thursday.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said the Prime Minister is currently in New York at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. He will participate in the Gaza Board of Peace meeting and is expected to hold key discussions with senior US officials.
The spokesperson added that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also in New York. The Deputy Prime Minister has met the Palestinian Permanent Representative and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. Prior to the visit to Austria, he held telephone conversations with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Badr Abdelatty.
The briefing highlighted the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Vienna at the invitation of Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, where a joint communiqué was issued.
During the visit, he also met the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan will only contribute to establishing peace in Gaza and is not part of any decisions targeting any group or organization. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Pakistan will participate in the peace process but will not be involved in disarming Hamas.
The briefing also noted that Professor Ahsan Iqbal attended the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh’s new government. Earlier this week, Pakistan along with seven other Muslim countries strongly condemned Israel’s controversial law on annexing the West Bank.
On security matters, the spokesperson said Pakistan has taken note of reports regarding the arrest of Indian national Nikhil Gupta and maintains that evidence exists of Indian-backed terrorist groups operating within the country. No decision has yet been made regarding International Assistance Security Forces.
