https://arab.news/wnazq
- Minister says elements unable to come to terms with Pakistan’s mediation role behind campaign
- Attaullah Tarar vows Pakistan will continue to expose nefarious designs of campaign’s perpetrators
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday alleged that a foreign-backed disinformation campaign is attempting to discredit Islamabad’s efforts to broker sustainable peace between the US and Iran in the region.
A CBS News report earlier this week claimed Pakistan had allowed Iranian military aircraft to park at its Nur Khan Airbase to potentially shield them from American strikes. Pakistan’s foreign office rejected the report as “misleading,” saying that the Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan are not linked to any military contingency or preservation arrangement with Tehran.
Separately, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday rejected media reports suggesting China had asked Islamabad to “do more” to mediate between Iran and the US, saying Beijing had instead expressed support for Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts.
US President Donald Trump this week backed Pakistan’s mediation efforts, despite Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of his, disparaging Islamabad’s diplomacy.
“For the past few days, a coordinated negative information campaign is being observed , initiated from outside Pakistan, with malicious intent,” Tarar wrote on X.
The minister said the campaign aims to create confusion and misinformation by quoting unnamed sources and officials.
“This unprofessional intent to discredit Pakistan’s role for sustainable peace in the region speaks of the frustration of those who are weary of peace,” he added.
Tarar said “certain elements” who were unable to come to terms with Pakistan’s role for regional peace and its fight against “foreign-sponsored terrorism” were behind this campaign.
“However, Pakistan and its responsible media will continue to expose the nefarious designs of those behind this coordinated campaign,” he said.
“The effort and role of Pakistani media and influencers to unmask this malicious campaign is most commendable.”
‘DO MORE’
Speaking to reporters at the weekly foreign press briefing in Islamabad, Andrabi referred to a May 12 telephone conversation between Pakistan’s Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during which the two sides discussed regional developments and Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate Iran-US engagement.
“Some reports suggested that the Chinese side urged us to enhance the mediation efforts, implying as if Pakistan was being asked to do so in a ‘do-more’ paradigm,” he said.
“I wish to place on record that such reports somewhat misrepresent the call, both in letter and in spirit ... The conversation between the two foreign ministers was held with traditional warmth and cordiality,” Andrabi said.
Tarar’s clarification comes as Pakistan in recent weeks, has positioned itself as a facilitator between Tehran and Washington. Months of conflict between the two have raised international concerns over regional security, global energy markets and the safety of shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas transit corridor through which a significant share of global energy supplies passes.
Pakistan has repeatedly said it supports a negotiated settlement and has described diplomacy as the only path toward a sustainable ceasefire and long-term regional stability.
Senior Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Dar, have held a series of diplomatic engagements with Iran, the US, Gulf states, China, the United Kingdom and other countries in recent weeks.
