Posts published in “Day: January 22, 2016”

Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, along with an entourage that includes the PM’s National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi are embarked on a mission to Riyadh and Tehran for the arduous task of resolving the differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia (SA) through dialogue. The civil and military leadership stressed its friendly relations with both…

If the idea behind Nawaz Sharif’s Riyadh and Tehran visits was to scale down the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Tehran, one has yet to see any signs indicating that this has happened. Nawaz Sharif has meanwhile proposed the nomination of point men by concerned countries to pursue reconciliation. The PML-N government is seen by Iran to be a partisan rather than an honest broker. With Pakistan joining the Saudi-led military alliance which excludes Muslim…

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured the National Assembly on Tuesday that Pakistan under no circumstances would join a military alliance against Iran, contrary to speculations doing the round because of the country`s support for a Saudi-led coalition of 34 Muslim nations aimed at curtailing the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region. Mr Asif, who looks after the key portfolios of water and power as well as defence, said in a policy statement…

The writer is a national security strategist, and fellow at Harvard University’s Asia Centre. As images of scattered dead bodies, of destroyed cars and damaged buildings flash on Pakistani television screens with the rising death toll of innocent civilians and of men dying in the line of duty, Pakistan’s entry as a potential mediator on the fractured and potentially explosive Middle East scene seems to be a logical step. Pakistan is not only the first…

  ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday met Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan in Tehran and discussed matters of regional security with him, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. General Sharif said Pakistan takes Iran as a very important neighbouring Muslim country and the people of Pakistan had great affinity with their Iranian brethren. Gen Raheel said terrorism was a global threat which had the potential of destabilizing…

ISLAMABAD: The government informed the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday that Pakistan was following a balanced policy towards Saudi Arabia, Iran and all the other Muslim countries. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz gave separate statements with regard to Pakistan’s role in the ongoing tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Khawaja Asif said at present, 1,180 Pakistan Army personnel of different ranks are in Saudi Arabia…

TEHRAN: The first phase of Pakistan’s mediation efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia were crowned with success when the Iranian leadership assured Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday that they were both prepared to sort out their differences through dialogue. The three countries would appoint focal persons to resume their interaction. Iran and Saudi Arabia also assured Nawaz that they harboured no animosity against each other. Iran has given its green light for the…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to initiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with Iran in the wake of lifting of sanctions on Tehran. In a meeting with the newly-appointed Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost on Tuesday, Commerce Minister Khurram Dasatgir Khan said Pakistan was interested in negotiating an agreement with Iran. “The draft of the FTA template will be forwarded to the Iranian authorities concerned as soon as they express their willingness,” the minister…