Spokesman also says death penalty for Sheikh Hasina is Bangladesh’s internal matter
Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the continued use of Afghan territory for terrorist attacks and reaffirmed that its border restrictions and suspension of trade with Afghanistan will remain in place.
During the weekly press briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andarabi said the Afghan Taliban is supporting groups involved in terrorist activities and must prevent Afghan citizens from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. He said that Afghan territory is constantly being used to carry out terrorism against Pakistan, which is why Islamabad suspended trade with Kabul.
The spokesperson also welcomed Turkiye’s interest in mediation efforts, although the planned visit of a Turkish delegation was postponed due to the Turkish vice president’s foreign commitments.
He added that several countries have encouraged mediation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He further confirmed that the embassies of Pakistan and Afghanistan are functioning and communication channels between the two sides remain open.
Andrabi further mentioned that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is currently visiting the European Union, where he attended the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Forum and held a series of meetings with European officials.
He said Dar met the Hungarian foreign minister and both sides signed a memorandum of understanding that will provide scholarships to Pakistani students. He also held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Denmark, Slovenia and the Netherlands.
Before traveling to the European Union, Dar visited Moscow from November 17 to 18 to attend the SCO heads of government meeting, he added. During the visit, the MPD met with the Russian president, prime minister and foreign minister. Regional issues, including relations with Afghanistan, were discussed at the SCO session, after which a joint statement on economic cooperation was issued.
Furthermore, the spokesperson strongly condemned the actions of Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and the desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He also criticized India for recent arrests related to the Red Fort attacks, stating that most of those arrested were from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
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He said India is continuously trying to change the demographic balance in the region, and Pakistan calls on the international community and the United Nations to take note of the ongoing human rights violations in occupied Kashmir. Responding to the death sentence announced for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, the spokesperson said the issue is an internal matter of Bangladesh, which has its own constitution and legal system.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s statement that the Indian Prime Minister averted a war, Andarabi said Pakistan finds the comments credible. He added that the recent US Congressional report was a research-based document prepared from open sources.
Speaking about the United Nations vote on Gaza, he said Pakistan explained its position after voting in favor of the US resolution. China, which abstained from the vote, also clarified its position. He added that Pakistan and China share similar positions on various aspects of the issue.
