Islamabad:
Pakistan has rejected the “unfounded and unfounded” claim of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Pakistani citizens were fighting as mercenaries in the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, the Pakistani government said it had not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor had he received any verifiable evidence to support such accusations.
“The Pakistan government categorically rejects the unfounded and unfounded accusations of the participation of Pakistani citizens in the conflict in Ukraine,” reads the statement. “The Pakistan government will address this issue with the Ukrainian authorities and seek clarifications in this regard.”
Pakistan reiterated his support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy according to the principles of the United Nations Charter.
The answer occurred hours after President Zelenskyy, during a visit to the frontline positions in the northeast of Jharkiv in Ukraine, affirmed that the foreign combatants of several countries, including Pakistan, had joined the Russian forces in the ongoing war.
“Our warriors in this sector report the participation of mercenaries from China, Tayikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and African countries in the war. We will respond,” Zelenskyy published in X.
Zelenskyy had previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese combatants, an accusation that Beijing denied. kyiv also claimed that North Korea deployed thousands of troops in support of Russian forces in the Kursk region.
Despite the repeated accusations of foreign mercenary participation, the independent verification of such claims has been limited. Pakistan has constantly maintained a policy of neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.
Since the Russian-Ukraine conflict began, Pakistan has stepped carefully, adopting a neutral posture. Pakistan remained under pressure from the West to take a clear position and condemn Russia, but Islamabad resisted and refrained from voting against Moscow in the United Nations several times.
However, in the midst of all this there were reports that Pakistan could be supplying ammunition to Ukraine through a third country. Islamabad always denied those charges and insisted that he did not have a direct role in the Russian-Ukraine War.
The last accusation of the Ukrainian president once again brought Pakistan’s alleged role in the center of attention. He arrived at a time when President Donald Trump was pressing immense pressure on India to stop buying oil and weapons from Russia.
Trump has threatened to impose additional duties to Indian goods for the US market.
