Web Desk/AFP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said the responsibility for ending hostilities with Afghanistan rests with Kabul, as both sides engage in ongoing talks aimed at easing tensions following weeks of cross-border conflict.&nbsp;Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan is participating in the dialogue process but expects concrete action from Afghan authorities.&nbsp;&ldquo;The burden of real process&hellip; lies with Afghanistan, which must demonstrate visible and verifiable actions against terrorist groups using its soil against Pakistan,&rdquo; Andrabi told reporters at a weekly briefing.&nbsp;Talks began in Urumqi, China, after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar traveled to Beijing for discussions with Chinese officials, including Wang Yi.&nbsp;Andrabi described the engagement as preliminary.&nbsp;&ldquo;These are working-level talks&hellip; our delegation has not returned yet,&rdquo; he said, adding that Pakistan is seeking a &ldquo;durable solution.&rdquo;&nbsp;Conflict, pause and renewed diplomacyThe talks come after weeks of heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Islamabad launched Operation Ghazab lil Haq following sustained cross-border terrorist attacks.&nbsp;The operation was briefly paused during Eid-ul-Fitr at the request of regional partners before resuming after the truce period ended.&nbsp;Pakistani officials say the campaign targets terrorist infrastructure, including camps, logistics networks and support systems used to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.&nbsp;Pakistan highlights diplomatic outreachAndrabi said Pakistan has simultaneously intensified diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions both regionally and beyond.&nbsp;He noted that Islamabad hosted a second round of four-party consultations with foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, T&uuml;rkiye, and Egypt, following an earlier meeting in Riyadh.&nbsp;The discussions focused on de-escalation, humanitarian concerns and promoting dialogue amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the Gulf region.&nbsp;&ldquo;The ministers agreed on dialogue as the primary path to prevent conflict and strengthen cooperation,&rdquo; Andrabi said.&nbsp;He added that Pakistan has also engaged in extensive diplomatic outreach through high-level calls and consultations with regional and global leaders.&nbsp;China engagement and regional coordination&nbsp;Andrabi highlighted Dar&rsquo;s recent visit to China as a key development, where both sides discussed Afghanistan and broader regional stability.&nbsp;He said a five-point peace initiative jointly emphasized cessation of hostilities, humanitarian assistance, civilian protection, dialogue and adherence to international law.&nbsp;Pakistan also welcomed steps aimed at maintaining stability in critical global trade routes, including safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, he added.&nbsp;Push for verifiable actionDespite ongoing talks, Pakistan maintains that progress depends on concrete steps by Afghan authorities.&nbsp;&ldquo;We did explore all avenues&hellip; but violence and attacks from Afghanistan did not stop,&rdquo; Andrabi said, referring to past diplomatic engagement efforts.&nbsp;Officials say Islamabad remains committed to dialogue but insists that any sustainable resolution requires guarantees that Afghan territory will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan.&nbsp;The talks in China are ongoing, with Pakistani officials framing them as part of a broader effort to balance military action with diplomacy amid a complex and evolving regional security landscape.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan intensified its diplomatic efforts last week to address ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Iran, engaging in high-level meetings, bilateral talks, and regional consultations.

Pakistan says Afghanistan must act as talks seek end hostilities

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sought clarification from India over an &ldquo;abrupt variation&rdquo; in the Chenab River&rsquo;s flow, with the Foreign Office saying its Indus water commissioner has formally written to his Indian counterpart under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) procedures. In a weekly press briefing broadcast live on the ministry&rsquo;s social media account on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi talked about the &ldquo;abrupt variation&rdquo; in the flow of the Chenab River.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2001539859375362539&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=a1ed9f1a960b94e8ad9472a6e71dc4c5cf066845&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 640px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Pakistan views these variations with extreme concern and seriousness. They allude to unilateral release of water into the Chenab River by India, without any prior notification,&rdquo; FO spokesperson said. &ldquo;Our Indus water commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matters in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty.&rdquo; Lives on the line&nbsp;Andrabi said, &ldquo;Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods as well as food and economic security of our citizens.&rdquo; &ldquo;We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by the Pakistani Indus water commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulation of river flows and fulfil its obligations in letter and spirit under the Indus Water Treaty provisions,&rdquo; he said. The FO spokesperson further said that the IWT was a &ldquo;binding international agreement,&rdquo; which had been &ldquo;an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region.&rdquo; Existential rights &nbsp;Andrabi said that violating the treaty threatened the &ldquo;inviolability of international treaties and compliance with international law&rdquo; and also posed a serious threat to &ldquo;regional peace, principles of good neighborliness, and norms governing interstate relations&rdquo;. &ldquo;The international community must take notice of India&rsquo;s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty, and counsel India to act responsibly and in accordance with international law and established norms as well as its own obligations.&rdquo; He said, &ldquo;Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India but will not compromise on the existential water rights of the people of our country.&rdquo; Incident in Bihar condemned &nbsp;On the issue of the incident where Chief Minister of the Indian state of Bihar Nitish Kumar pulled the veil of a Muslim woman, Andrabi said: &ldquo;The forcible removal of the Muslim woman&rsquo;s hijab by a senior political leader and subsequent public ridicule of this act are deeply disturbing and warrant strong condemnation&rdquo;. &ldquo;The action risks normalizing the humiliation of Muslim women in India. The conduct also demonstrates public disrespect of India&rsquo;s religious minorities, particularly its Muslim citizens,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Such conduct reflects a broader and troubling pattern associated with Hindutva-inspired politics, namely the alarming rise of religious intolerance and Islamophobia,&rdquo; Andrabi added. &ldquo;We urge all responsible stakeholders and the Indian government to recognize the seriousness of this incident and to reaffirm their commitment to the protection of minority rights, respect for religious freedom, and the preservation of human dignity,&rdquo; the spokesperson said.

Foreign Office spokesperson says, ‘Our Indus water commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matter in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty.’

Articles tagged with "FO Briefing"

Pakistan says Afghanistan must act as talks seek end hostilities

Pakistan seeks clarification from India over ‘abrupt variation’ in Chenab water flows