PM heads to Iran, Türkiye as Pakistan presses ahead with US-Iran peace diplomacy

• Premier Shehbaz to attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral in Tehran on Friday (tomorrow)

• Erdogan-Shehbaz talks to focus on trade, investment and regional security

• Says Pakistan pushes 'earnest follow-up' on Islamabad MoU between Washington and Tehran

• Claims progress made in Doha talks, Islamabad to continue mediation with Qatar

• Rejects India's attempt to treat Indus river system as ‘strategic asset that can be controlled’

 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a three-day visit to Iran and Türkiye from July 3 to July 5 as Pakistan intensifies diplomatic engagement with key regional and international stakeholders, as well as the principal interlocutors, to facilitate the “earnest follow-up” and “implementation” of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the United States and Iran on June 18, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed on Thursday.

“During his visit to Iran, Prime Minister Shehbaz will participate in the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in US-Israeli strikes on February 28,” Andrabi said during the Foreign Office’s weekly media briefing in Islamabad.

🔈 PR No. 1️⃣6️⃣ 2️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣

Curtain Raiser: Visit of the Prime Minister to Iran and Türkiye

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

He said the prime minister would travel to Iran first, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, cabinet members and senior officials.

“The prime minister will convey condolences on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan to the Iranian leadership and the bereaved families while reaffirming solidarity with the brotherly nation in its hour of profound grief,” he said.

Following the Iran visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz will travel to Istanbul at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Andrabi said.

He added that the two leaders would hold wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations, with particular emphasis on boosting trade and investment cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

“The leadership meeting will also reflect on issues concerning regional peace and security,” he added.

The prime minister will also address a business conference hosted by Pakistan to showcase the country’s trade and investment potential in priority sectors, including Special Economic Zones (SEZs), energy, trade, information technology and privatisation, Andrabi said.

The conference will bring together leading Turkish businessmen and investors, along with senior government officials, dignitaries and other prominent members of the business community, he added.

The FO spokesperson said the prime minister’s visits to Iran and Türkiye reflected Pakistan’s deep-rooted, historic, cultural and fraternal ties with the two brotherly countries.

Pakistan steps up diplomatic engagement

Referring to the US-Iran conflict, Andrabi said Pakistan had “stepped up its diplomatic engagement with key regional and international stakeholders as well as the principal interlocutors to facilitate earnest follow-up and implementation” of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two sides on June 18.

Under the 14-point agreement, Washington and Tehran committed to a framework aimed at ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and negotiating key outstanding issues within 60 days of the signing.

Weekly Press by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Iran-US Mediatory Process, Doha Talks and related queries pic.twitter.com/PoYefCpk54

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

Andrabi said “positive progress” had been made on various aspects of the Islamabad MoU during the latest round of US-Iran talks held in Doha on Tuesday, which continued into Wednesday morning.

He reaffirmed that Pakistan would “continue to play a facilitative and mediatory role in the negotiation process along with our Qatari partners”.

The spokesperson also recalled that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had continued high-level consultations in recent days through telephone conversations with several foreign counterparts.

Water 'not a tool of coercion'

Addressing another issue, Andrabi strongly rejected what he described as India’s attempt to treat the Indus river system as a “strategic asset that can be controlled”.

He said Pakistan rejected “India’s attempt to invoke baseless allegations of terrorism as a pretext for placing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and obstructing the lawful flow of Pakistan’s share of the waters”.

“Let this be very clear: the real issue is not terrorism. The real issue is the growing disposition within the Indian leadership to treat a shared international river system as a strategic asset that can be controlled, withheld or diverted at will,” he said.

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Exchange of List of Prisoners with India and IWT Seminar in Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/k5UIMoUBLX

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

“This mindset of unilateral appropriation is fundamentally incompatible with the letter and spirit of not just international law but also the Indus Waters Treaty,” Andrabi added.

Describing water as “not a tool of coercion or political pressure”, he warned that any attempt to deny Pakistan its legitimate share of the Indus waters would constitute a clear violation of India’s international legal obligations and undermine its credibility and commitment to a treaty-based relationship.

He also referred to the “International Seminar on Indus Waters Treaty: An Instrument of Peace and Regional Stability”, held in Islamabad on Tuesday, where participants reaffirmed support for the treaty and rejected the weaponisation of water.

According to Andrabi, speakers—including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and international scholars—called for resolving disputes through legal and diplomatic mechanisms rather than unilateral actions.

“They warned that any attempt to deprive the country of its shared water would have profound consequences for regional peace and security,” he said.

The FO spokesperson also recalled Dar's remarks that the six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty could neither be suspended nor terminated under any pretext, describing India's decision to place it in abeyance as “illegal, unilateral and without any basis”.

Responding to a question on whether the seminar could prevent Pakistan from being “converted into barren land”, Andrabi replied firmly: “No country can do that. Not India, not any other country has the power to do that.”

Asked about a recent civil society letter urging the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers to revive peace and dialogue, Andrabi said private citizens were free to express their views, but the government and the Foreign Office “neither endorse nor reject” such initiatives and had no official comment.

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Exchange of List of Prisoners with India and IWT Seminar in Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/k5UIMoUBLX

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

On a discrepancy in the lists of prisoners exchanged between Pakistan and India earlier this week, Andrabi said Pakistan’s list of 753 nationals in Indian custody had been “meticulously compiled” and was considered authentic.

India, by contrast, had shared a list of 439 prisoners who were “Pakistani or believed to be Pakistani”.

He said Pakistan’s list included all reported cases of Pakistani nationals detained in India, including those identified through media reports, family notifications and official channels.

Unapproved action on Punjab gurdwara halted

Responding to questions regarding India's comments on the reported demolition of a gurdwara in Punjab's Farooqabad, Andrabi said the building had long ceased to be used for worship and had fallen into a dilapidated condition that posed safety risks.

He said the work had been initiated by tenants without the permission of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), prompting the authorities to cancel the tenancy and consider renovation of the structure.

“Immediate remedial action was initiated. The ETPB halted the tenants’ unauthorised work on the same day, June 24,” he said, adding that while a portion of the building had been affected, demolition of the main structure had been prevented.

Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson @TahirAndrabi

On Damage to the Gurudwara-building and the Reaction by India. pic.twitter.com/6oIhMEXnJ5

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) July 2, 2026

The tenants had also been directed to vacate the premises, he added.

“We will ensure that the building is preserved, and renovation work will also be undertaken where possible,” Andrabi said.

He explained that the tenants had begun work on two sections of the seven-part gurdwara on June 24 as a preventive measure because the ageing structure had become unsafe and posed a potential threat to nearby residents and properties.

“The structure was old and in a dilapidated condition and posed a potential risk to human lives and surrounding private properties. There were fears that it could collapse during the upcoming rainy season,” he said, adding that public concern had intensified following the recent roof collapse at a tuition centre in Lahore.

Andrabi said the property remained under private tenancy because there was “no Sikh community in the vicinity that would use the gurdwara for its religious purposes.”