Summary Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remained Pakistan’s biggest challenge
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan has always advocated peace and is fully prepared to protect its borders, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said on Friday, stressing that Islamabad remains committed to resolving disputes through diplomacy.
Addressing a news briefing in Islamabad, the spokesperson said terrorism emanating from Afghanistan remained Pakistan’s biggest challenge, claiming that 1,360 Pakistanis had lost their lives in terrorist attacks over the past year.
He said conflicts and disputes could be resolved through diplomatic engagement, adding that Pakistan had never been reluctant to pursue diplomacy with Afghanistan.
Khan said China, Uzbekistan and other countries also faced concerns over the presence of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan.
Commenting on the expansion of the Makkah defence agreement, he said each participating country had its own procedures.
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Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had completed their respective processes, while Türkiye was pursuing the extension through its parliament.
He said Pakistan endorsed the draft of the agreement that had become publicly available, adding that the country remained an important member of the international community.
The spokesperson also confirmed Pakistan’s participation in talks with the United States.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had contacted his Egyptian and Iranian counterparts and arrived in Türkiye to attend the R4 meeting, which will be followed by an R4-plus-E3 meeting. He said the latter would be the first gathering in that format.
