Delegation was informed about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives, says PMO
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an in-camera briefing with a Jamat-e-Islami delegation at the Prime Minister’s Office PHOTO: RADIOPAK
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an in-camera briefing with a Jamat-e-Islami delegation led by Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday at the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss the current geopolitical situation, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The delegation included Liaqat Baloch, Mian Muhammad Aslam, and Asif Luqman Qazi.
The PMO said the delegation received an in-camera briefing on the current situation in Afghanistan, Iran, the Middle East, and the Gulf region. “The delegation was informed about Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives,” the statement added.
Officials also briefed the delegation on steps taken by Pakistani embassies in Iran and Gulf countries to facilitate Pakistani citizens.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Azeem Nazir Tarar, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Prime Minister’s Adviser Rana Sanaullah, and Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, the PMO confirmed.
On Wednesday, a high-level meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was held in Islamabad to discuss current geopolitical tensions in the region with all major parties and leaders from both sides of the aisle in attendance. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf skipped the meeting.
The meeting included a detailed briefing to ensure parliamentary leaders were fully informed of the country’s foreign policy approach and regional security stance, said the PMO.
Read: Pakistan treads cautious path on Gulf conflict
“A detailed briefing was also given to the parliamentary leaders in the meeting, highlighting Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts during the recent tensions. The parliamentary leaders of the political parties expressed their views openly. The participants emphasised the need for national unity, consensus and solidarity in the current situation,” Radio Pakistan reported.
Regional tensions
Pakistan and Afghanistan have clashed along the frontier since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes. ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq‘ was launched late on Thursday after renewed clashes along the border, when Afghan Taliban forces fired on multiple locations, prompting swift military retaliation.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against terrorist groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejects. The border fighting has hit multiple Afghan provinces. The violence of recent days is the worst since the October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbours largely shut since.
The meeting also discussed the escalation of conflict in the Gulf after the US and Israel continued their military strikes on Iran, following a joint operation on Saturday that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking officials. Iran said schools and hospitals have also been targeted, killing hundreds of civilians.
Read more: Israel strikes Beirut as Iran fires fresh missile barrage at Israel
In the opening wave of attacks, about 163 girls were killed when a school in southern Iran was struck by Israeli-US strikes.
Tehran responded by targeting Israel, as well as American military assets across the region, disrupting commercial travel, disrupting oil routes, and sending global energy prices higher.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck more than 500 US and Israeli locations using 700 drones along with hundreds of missiles.
