The delegation was apprised of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and initiatives, the PMO says
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an on-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 about the 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 Foreign Minister 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 present. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf skipped the meeting.
The meeting included a detailed briefing to ensure that parliamentary leaders were fully informed about the country’s foreign policy approach and regional security posture, the PMO said.
Read: Pakistan treads cautiously in the Gulf conflict
“A detailed briefing was also given to the parliamentary leaders at the meeting highlighting Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts during the recent tensions. The parliamentary leaders of the political parties openly expressed their views. The participants emphasized the need for national unity, consensus and solidarity in the current situation,” he says. Radio Pakistan reported.
Regional tensions
Pakistan and Afghanistan have clashed along the border since last week, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani airstrikes. ‘Operation Ghazab Lil Haq’ was launched late Thursday following renewed clashes along the border as Afghan Taliban forces fired at several 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 denies. The border fighting has affected several Afghan provinces. The violence in recent days is the worst since October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbors largely closed since.
The meeting also discussed the escalation of the conflict in the Gulf after the United States and Israel continued their military attacks on Iran, following a joint operation on Saturday that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials. Iran said schools and hospitals have also been attacked, killing hundreds of civilians.
Read more: Israel attacks Beirut as Iran fires a new missile barrage at Israel
In the initial wave of attacks, around 163 girls were killed when a school in southern Iran was hit by Israeli-American strikes.
Tehran responded by targeting Israel, as well as US military assets throughout the region, disrupting commercial travel, disrupting oil routes and sending global energy prices higher.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it hit more than 500 American and Israeli sites using 700 drones along with hundreds of missiles.
