ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not allow its airspace, land, or territorial waters to be used against Iran in any attack by the United States, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday.
Addressing his weekly press briefing, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s long-standing position of not permitting its territory or airspace to be used against Iran, stressing that Islamabad remains committed to regional peace and stability.
The spokesperson also informed the media that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
During their warm and cordial conversation, the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the current trajectory of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar and reaffirmed their shared resolve to further strengthen their time-tested fraternal ties. Recent developments in the Middle East were also discussed, he added.
Andrabi said the prime minister appreciated Qatar’s constructive and proactive role in promoting peace, dialogue, and mediation across the region, and acknowledged Doha’s efforts to defuse tensions through diplomatic means. Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact in the coming days.
Responding to a question regarding rising tensions between the United States and Iran, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan has previously played a role in facilitating dialogue on Iran’s nuclear negotiations.
The Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi acknowledged coming across the “reports”.
“Basically, it was a brief statement by the US State Department on their social media account about the internal review of processing immigrant visas that they are in the process of,” he said.
“We are in touch with the US authorities to ascertain further details. This is an evolving news that we are following.
“We understand that this is an internal ongoing process of review of US immigration policies and system, and hope that the routine processing of immigrant visas will resume soon,” the FO spokesperson added.
The visa processing suspension could delay travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who annually seek US visas. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to affected applicants in the coming days.
The freeze is linked to the US public-charge rule, which evaluates whether immigrants are likely to rely on government assistance. While suspensions of visa services have occurred in the past, officials have termed the scope of this action unprecedented.
No timeline has been given for resuming visa services, but the State Department assured that countries would be notified once the review is complete.
