ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has regular engagement with Tehran alongside its cooperation with Riyadh, the Foreign Office stated on Thursday at a weekly media briefing held ahead of US Secretary of Defence James Mattis’s visit on Sunday.

While discussing how Pakistan hoped to balance its relations with Iran while being a member of the Saudi-led military coalition, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said: “We remain in close contact with the Iranian leadership at all levels.” He recalled Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa’s trip to Tehran earlier this month, during which he held “detailed consultations” with the Iranian counterparts.

In their first meeting, the defence ministers of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) had discussed ways to boost cooperation to combat terrorism through intelligence sharing, capacity building, joint exercises and media campaigns, he said.

Quoting Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir, Dr Faisal said, “Pakistan is ready to share its experiences and capabilities in all areas of activities of the coalition.” He added that the coalition would seek to fight terrorism through ‘intellectual’ interventions in the realm of information, countering terrorism financing and the military. Discussing Mattis’s upcoming visit to Pakistan, Dr Faisal said that Pakistan and the United States were striving to limit their differences and work for peace and stability in Afghanistan.

US secretary of defence to visit Pakistan on Sunday in efforts to minimise differences

“Pakistan and the US are actively engaged in discussing the situation in Afghanistan with a view to arriving at a better understanding of each other’s positions and to devise the way forward, to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said, while responding to a question.

Dr Faisal recalled that the defence secretary’s visit was a part of an ongoing engagement between Pakistan and the US following the announcement of the Trump administration policy on South Asia. “Pakistan did not agree with the US policy on South Asia which was announced in August this year. There was a difference in understanding and perceptions on both sides. Thereafter, a dialogue began,” he continued.

Pakistan and the US have had several bilateral exchanges since Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Vice President Mike Pence met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September this year. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who visited Pakistan in October, was the last senior administration official to have visited Pakistan. Yet despite these high-level interactions, differences have continued to persist between the two sides, who have been accusing each other of not doing their part to end terrorism.

Mattis’s visit, Dr Faisal insisted, was a clear indication “that dialogue to bridge the gap in perceptions between both countries is ongoing. We are trying to find common ground and move forward in our bilateral relationship with the US in a positive and cooperative manner”.

‘Chemical weapons use in held Kashmir’

The spokesperson expressed concern over reports about the use of chemical weapons in Indian-occupied Kashmir and called for an independent international probe.

“We have noted, with serious concern, media reports that you have referred to. Such reports need to be verified. The Indian policy of denying access to any independent observers raises legitimate concerns,” he said, adding: “Should these reports find credence this use would constitute a breach of Indian international obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. Similar reports had emerged a few months before. We call for independent investigations into such reports, including through OPCW.”

In response to a question regarding the foreign secretary’s testimony in the Mumbai attacks case in an antiterrorism court, he said that she had informed the court that “the decision of the court to convey the names of the Indian witnesses required for testifying in this case was being considered by the Ministry of Interior”.

Commenting on a recent cruise missile test that India had conducted, Dr Faisal said it would hurt regional security and stability. The missile is a supersonic cruise missile, with an ability to reach the speed of Mach 3.0. The launch of the cruise missile, Dr Faisal said, was part of the ongoing build-up and induction of sophisticated weaponry and delivery systems by India.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2017