ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected claims that Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited Iran as an envoy of US President Donald Trump, describing the reports as misleading and factually incorrect.
At his weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan continued to engage with brotherly countries as part of sincere diplomatic efforts to address the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and Gulf region, including tensions between the United States and Iran.
Andrabi said Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran on August 24 in continuation of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions, breaking the military stalemate and exploring a negotiated settlement.
“The claims by certain quarters that Field Marshal visited Iran as an envoy of President Trump or the United States are misleading and factually incorrect,” the spokesperson said.
He explained that the visit was conducted entirely within the context of Pakistan’s ongoing role in facilitating dialogue and promoting regional peace and stability.
According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan is seeking to bridge differences between Washington and Tehran and encourage diplomatic engagement to prevent further escalation in the region. Islamabad has repeatedly highlighted the importance of dialogue and negotiated solutions to regional conflicts.
Pakistan Open to Dialogue With Afghanistan
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan remained open to state-level dialogue and institutional coordination with Afghanistan, but stressed that meaningful engagement would require tangible and verifiable counterterrorism measures from the Afghan Taliban authorities.
Andrabi said Kabul must ensure that Afghan territory is not used by terrorist groups to carry out attacks against Pakistan. He added that Afghanistan must fulfil its international commitments, including obligations under the Doha framework.
The spokesperson specifically mentioned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), saying Afghan soil must not be used by hostile groups against Pakistan.
He further said that if Afghan authorities were found facilitating militant groups at the behest of another country, Islamabad would be compelled to consider those organisations as proxies.
Andrabi also referred to what Pakistan described as evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism originating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has maintained that improved relations with Afghanistan depend on effective action against militant groups operating from Afghan soil. Islamabad has called for concrete measures from Kabul before comprehensive state-level engagement can move forward.
