The clarification came during the weekly press briefing in Islamabad by Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, who described the past two weeks as being marked by “very hectic diplomatic engagements,” despite the Eid holidays.
He said the period included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, the visits of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar's to China, New York, and Washington, as well as the visit of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kalla Kaja's visit to Pakistan.
Giving details of the prime minister’s visit to China, the spokesperson said it was undertaken at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China from May 23 to 26. During the visit, Shehbaz held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.
He added that the prime minister also chaired a Pakistan-China B2B investment conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, focusing on IT and telecom, battery energy storage, and agriculture. A detailed joint statement was issued after the visit. DPM/FM Dar accompanied the Prime Minister to China, before travelling directly from Beijing to New York for his engagements between May 26 and 28.
Andrabi said that in New York, Dar participated in the UN Security Council open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security, focused on upholding the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centred international system. He also attended the Group of Friends on Global Governance, which discussed reforms to global governance and the challenges it faces.
On the sidelines, the deputy prime minister held bilateral meetings with several foreign ministers and senior UN officials, including the UN Secretary-General and counterparts from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Panama, and Portugal.
On May 29, Dar met US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in Washington, DC. According to the spokesperson, “the two leaders appreciated the positive trajectory of bilateral relations over the past year.” He said they discussed “wide-ranging issues of mutual interest” and agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, economic relations, cultural cooperation, counterterrorism and security.”
He added that “the US side acknowledged Pakistan’s diplomatic and media efforts” and commended continued coordination between both countries.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach also continued on regional stability, including contacts with Egypt, Iran and Kuwait on evolving Middle East and Gulf developments.
He noted that on return to Islamabad, Dar held calls with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Iran’s Foreign Minister and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister, discussing “evolving regional and national developments.”
He also said the prime minister held multiple telephone conversations, including a call with Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian on June 4, and earlier calls with the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
“These were part of our efforts for regional peace, security and overall regional development,” the spokesperson said.
Another key development was the visit of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas to Pakistan on June 1, he said. During the visit, the two sides “co-chaired the 8th session of the Pakistan-EU Strategic Dialogue, the highest-level platform for structured discussions between the two sides.”
He added that she also called on President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, and that the visit “underscored sustained momentum of high-level political engagement.”
A Pakistan-EU joint statement was also issued, he noted.
Towards the end of the briefing, the spokesperson referred to a joint statement by foreign ministers of eight countries — Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan — strongly condemning Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque and reaffirming support for a two-state solution.
Reiterating Pakistan’s position, the Foreign Office said there was “no change in policy,” and that Pakistan continues to support the establishment of a “sovereign and independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
During question hour, Andrabi said that 10 Pakistanis are still in the custody of Somali pirates and that contact had been established with the Somali government and efforts are underway to ensure their safe return.