ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said Friday that Pakistan helped Saudi Arabia and Iran talk.
“It is obvious that this [Saudi-Iran] agreement is a result of the mediation efforts of China and the constructive talks that took it facilitated and the two sides were able to resolve their differences,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told a weekly press conference.
We applaud this. She continued, “Pakistan and other friends of Iran and Saudi Arabia facilitated the dialogue.”
The statement noted that the two foreign ministers met in Islamabad during an OIC summit.
“But we do not wish to take away credit from China in this latest agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia on normalisation of relations and congratulate them for their successful diplomatic efforts,” she said.
Ms. Baloch said Pakistan applauds China’s visionary leadership in coordinating this historic accord.
We believe this diplomatic breakthrough will promote peace and stability in the area and beyond. “We hope this normalisation will set a template for regional cooperation and harmony,” she said.
Afterward, She claimed Islamabad’s relationship with Beijing is decades old in response to a PTI leader’s tweet criticising Pakistan-China relations.
“It has strengthened over the decades. Despite changing circumstances, worldwide events, and Pakistani and Chinese domestic developments, we have remained friends. “One statement by some individual cannot in any way damage this relationship, because it is based on mutual trust, mutual confidence, and the support of the peoples of Pakistan and China, who have for generations supported Pakistan-China friendship,” she said.
Pakistan wants peace
Pakistan has called for regional peace and security for all its allies, including Saudi Arabia, the official added.
We hope this deal and normalisation of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia will help resolve pressing challenges, particularly Yemen. “We hope this brings peace to the region, including Yemen,” she said.
She said Pakistan and China were “all-weather strategic cooperative partners”. When asked about reports that China has demanded outstanding payments from Pakistan for CPEC-installed Chinese independent power projects.
China has supported Pakistan for decades, she noted. CPEC brought China to Pakistan’s electricity industry when no foreign investor would.
This investment helped us overcome shortages and economic progress. We appreciate China’s support for Pakistan, CPEC, and investments. Your media assertions have distorted an intergovernmental debate by inserting sensationalist rhetoric. I want to emphasise that Pakistan and China work together to develop win-win solutions. She remarked, “Pakistanis are proud of our friendship with China, which has always helped Pakistan when needed, including in this difficult economic situation.”
Moreover, The spokesperson said Pakistan was deeply concerned about the global rise in racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, which is manifested in negative profiling and stigmatisation of Muslims, vandalism of Islamic symbols and holy sites, discriminatory laws and policies, bans on Hijab, and attacks on mosques. She said Pakistan was also concerned about escalating hate crime against Muslims, including Quran burning in Europe.
“We call for global dialogue to promote peace and tolerance and raise awareness to combat Islamophobia.”
She also denounced K.S. Eshwarappa’s recent remarks.
These words reflect India’s growing Islamophobia. Pakistan is alarmed by the surge in communal violence and hostility against Indian Muslims, who are being stigmatised and marginalised for their faith. We urge India to immediately protect minorities and allow them to practise their faith in peace.
