Says 10 Pakistanis still in custody of Somali pirates, contact established with Somali government
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman Tahir Andrabi speaks at the FO’s weekly press briefing. SCREEN GRAB
Pakistan reiterated on Thursday that its position on the Abraham Accords remains unchanged, stressing that it continues to support a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian state.
The clarification came during the weekly press briefing in Islamabad by Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi, who described the past two weeks as marked by “very hectic diplomatic engagements”, despite the Eid holiday.
He said the period included Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visits to China, New York and Washington, as well as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kalla Kaja’s visit to Pakistan.
The spokesman gave details of the Prime Minister’s visit to China, saying it was made 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 telecommunications, battery energy storage and agriculture. A detailed joint statement was issued after the visit. DPM/FM Dar accompanied the Prime Minister to China before he traveled directly from Beijing to New York for his engagements between 26 and 28 May.
🔴LIVE: Spokesperson’s weekly press briefing 04-06-2026 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad
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Andrabi said Dar was in New York participating in the UN Security Council’s open debate on maintaining international peace and security, focusing on upholding the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system. He also participated in the Group of Friends on Global Governance, which discussed global governance reforms 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 colleagues from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Panama and Portugal.
On May 29, Dar met with US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio in Washington, DC. According to the spokesman, “the two leaders appreciated the positive trajectory of bilateral relations over the past year.” He said they discussed “far-reaching issues of common interest” and agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, economic relations, cultural cooperation, counter-terrorism and security.”
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He added that “the US side recognized Pakistan’s diplomatic and media efforts” and praised the continued coordination between both countries.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts also continued on regional stability, including contacts with Egypt, Iran and Kuwait on Middle East and Gulf developments.
He noted that when he returned to Islamabad, Dar held talks with the Egyptian foreign minister, the Iranian foreign minister and the Kuwaiti foreign minister, where they discussed “development of regional and national developments.”
He also said that the Prime Minister held several telephone conversations, including a call with Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian on June 4 and previous 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 spokesman said.
Another important 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 Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, and that the visit “underscored the sustained momentum of high-level political engagement.”
A joint statement by Pakistan and the EU was also issued, he noted.
Towards the end of the briefing, the spokesman referred to a joint statement by foreign ministers from eight countries – Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan – that strongly condemned Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution.
Reiterating Pakistan’s position, the State Department 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 Time, Andrabi said that 10 Pakistanis are still in the custody of Somali pirates and that contact has been established with the Somali government and efforts are underway to ensure their safe return.
