Pakistan army chief calls for dialogue, diplomacy to resolve regional conflicts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's army chief advocated for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve regional conflicts in his interaction with American policy experts, analysts, scholars and representatives of foreign media outlets, the military's media wing said on Friday amid Islamabad's simmering tensions with New Delhi.
Munir is on a solo trip to the US, where he met President Donald Trump for lunch on Wednesday in an unprecedented White House meeting. Trump told reporters afterward that the two had discussed the ongoing Iran-Israel crisis, and that the main reason he wanted to meet Munir was to thank him for not pursuing war with India last month.
Pakistan and India remained engaged in a military confrontation for four days last month before Washington brokered a ceasefire between the two on May 10. Pakistan has since then sent delegations to various capitals around the world, urging countries to persuade India to resolve bilateral issues with Islamabad via dialogue and diplomacy.
'The Army Chief also provided a detailed exposition of Pakistan's balanced approach to regional and global conflicts, advocating for dialogue, diplomacy, and adherence to international law,' the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said. 'He reaffirmed that Pakistan continues to play a responsible and proactive role in mitigating regional tensions and promoting cooperative security frameworks.'
Munir also spoke about Pakistan's recent conflict with India, elaborating on Pakistan's perspective on 'terrorism.' Without naming anyone in particular, the Pakistan army chief spoke about the influence of regional actors in sponsoring and perpetuating 'terrorism' as a tool of hybrid warfare.
'The COAS emphasized that Pakistan has been on the front lines of the global war against terrorism, having rendered immense sacrifices— both human and economic— in pursuit of a safer and more secure world,' the statement said.
Pakistan denies India's allegations it supports militant attacks in the part of disputed Kashmir that New Delhi governs. After the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, tensions between the two countries surged as New Delhi blamed Islamabad for being involved. Pakistan denied the allegations and called for an impartial, international probe into the incident.
The Pakistan army chief spoke about his country's untapped potential in information technology, agriculture and its underexploited reserves in the mining and mineral sectors. Munir invited international partners to explore collaborative opportunities in these sectors to unlock 'shared prosperity,' the ISPR said.
The discussion between Munir and the participants also involved an evaluation of the long-standing Pakistan–US partnership, the military's media wing said.
'The COAS [chief of army staff] underlined the historical convergences between the two nations, particularly in areas such as counterterrorism, regional security, and economic development,' the ISPR said.
'He underscored the immense potential for a broader, multidimensional relationship built upon mutual respect, shared strategic interests, and economic interdependence.'
The ISPR said the interaction was marked by mutual understanding and was widely regarded as a 'positive step' toward enhancing strategic dialogue between the two countries.
Pakistan's military plays a key role in shaping the country's foreign policy, and Munir's high-profile White House invitation is being seen as part of Washington's broader effort to recalibrate ties with Islamabad, a vital but often difficult ally for the US in South Asia.
Under Trump, Islamabad and Washington both have appeared eager to rebuild military and economic cooperation after years of strained ties, largely over counter-terrorism disagreements.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Europe to give Iran message that US open to direct talks
European foreign ministers will tell their Iranian counterpart on Friday that the US is open to direct talks even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran's nuclear capacity, diplomats said before a meeting in Geneva. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will be told that Iran must send a 'clear signal,' two diplomats told Reuters, with pressure mounting on Tehran to agree tough curbs on its nuclear program to prevent the potential development of an atomic weapon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to several Western counterparts prior to the Geneva meeting, the diplomats said, indicating readiness to engage directly with Tehran. Washington did not confirm that though broadcaster CNN quoted a US official saying President Donald Trump supported diplomacy from allies that could bring Iran closer to a deal. Tehran, however, has repeatedly said it will not talk to the Trump government until Israeli attacks end. The ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, plus the European Union's foreign policy chief, were meeting separately prior to planned face-to-face talks with Araghchi. 'The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can,' said a European diplomat. 'We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens.' The talks were due for mid-afternoon in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. Separate talks between Iran and the US collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. 'There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops,' Araghchi was quoted as saying on Iranian state TV on Friday. Signal sought The E3 have in past talks with Iran suggested it keep some uranium enrichment but accept extremely strict international inspections of its nuclear activities. Trump has demanded zero enrichment and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to echo that call on Friday, saying any new deal needed to go towards zero enrichment for Iran. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to Rubio on Thursday night, during which Rubio said Washington was ready for direct contact with the Iranians any time, according to a French diplomatic source. The main message Europeans will pass to Araghchi is that the US has signaled readiness for direct talks, but that Iran must give a serious signal, the two European diplomats said, without defining what the signal should be. Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has spoken to Araghchi several times since last week, sources say. While diplomats did not expect a breakthrough in Geneva, they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped the nuclear issue would remain unresolved given that Tehran would still retain the scientific know-how. 'Even now, if they have something to say, we will listen,' Araghchi said of the Europeans. 'We are not ashamed of defending our nation's rights and we are not avoiding anyone.' German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said European powers had always been ready to talk provided Iran committed to not developing nuclear weapons. 'Now it's Iran's move,' he said. Trump has said he will decide within two weeks whether to join Israeli strikes. 'A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
The success of a key NATO summit is in doubt after Spain rejects a big hike in defense spending
The success of a key NATO summit hung in the balance on Friday after Spain announced that it cannot raise the billions of dollars needed to meet a new defense investment pledge demanded by US President Donald Trump. Trump and his NATO counterparts are meeting for two days in the Netherlands starting next Tuesday. He insists that US allies should commit to spending at least 5 percent of gross domestic product, but that requires investment at an unprecedented scale. Trump has cast doubt over whether the US would defend allies that spend too little. Setting the spending goal would be a historic decision. It would see all 32 countries invest the same amount in defense for the first time. Only last week NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed confidence that they would endorse it. But in a letter to Rutte on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote that committing to a 5 percent target would not only be unreasonable but also counterproductive. 'It would move Spain away from optimal spending and it would hinder the (European Union's) ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense ecosystem,' Sánchez wrote in the letter seen by The Associated Press. Spain is not entirely alone. Belgium, Canada, France, and Italy would also struggle to hike security spending by billions of dollars, but Spain is the only country to officially announce its intentions, making it hard to row back from such a public decision. Beyond his economic challenges, Sánchez has other problems. He relies on small parties to govern, and corruption scandals have ensnared his inner circle and family members. He's under growing pressure to call an early election. In response to the letter, Rutte's office said only that 'discussions among allies on a new defense investment plan are ongoing.' NATO's top civilian official had been due to table a new proposal on Friday to try to break the deadlock. The US and French envoys had also been due to update reporters about the latest developments ahead of the summit but postponed their briefings. Rutte and many European allies are desperate to resolve the problem by Tuesday so that Trump does not derail the summit as he did during his first term at NATO headquarters in 2018. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO allies agreed that 2 percent of GDP should be the minimum they spend on their military budgets. But NATO's new plans for defending its own territory against outside attack require investment of at least 3 percent. Spain agreed to those plans in 2023. The 5 percent goal is made up of two parts. The allies would agree to hike pure defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP. A further 1.5 percent would go to upgrade roads, bridges, ports, and airfields so that armies can better deploy and to prepare societies for future attacks. Mathematically, 3.5 plus 1.5 equals Trump's 5 percent. But a lot is hiding behind the figures, and details of what kinds of things can be included remain cloudy. Countries closest to Russia–Belarus and Ukraine–have all agreed to the target, as well as nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, which is hosting the June 24–25 summit. The Netherlands estimates that NATO's defense plans would force it to dedicate at least 3.5 percent to core defense spending. That means finding an additional 16 billion to 19 billion euros (18 billion to 22 billion). Supplying arms and ammunition to Ukraine, which Spain does, will also be included as core defense spending. NATO estimates that the US spent around 3.2 percent of GDP on defense last year. The additional 1.5 percent spending basket is murkier. Rutte and many members argue that infrastructure used to deploy armies to the front must be included, as well as building up defense industries and preparing citizens for possible attacks. 'If a tank is not able to cross a bridge. If our societies are not prepared in case war breaks out for a whole of society approach. If we are not able to really develop the defense industrial base, then the 3.5 percent is great, but you cannot really defend yourselves,' Rutte said this month. Spain wanted climate change spending included, but that proposal was rejected. Cyber-security and counter-hybrid warfare investment should also make the cut. Yet with all the conjecture about what might be included, it's difficult to see how Rutte arrived at this 1.5 percent figure. It's not enough to agree to spend more money. Many allies haven't yet hit the 2 percent target, although most will this year, and they had a decade to get there. So an incentive is required. The date of 2032 has been floated as a deadline. That's far shorter than previous NATO targets, but military planners estimate that Russian forces could be capable of launching an attack on an ally within 5–10 years. The US insists that it cannot be an open-ended pledge and that a decade is too long. Still, Italy says it wants 10 years to hit the 5 percent target. Another issue is how fast spending should be ramped up. 'I have a cunning plan for that,' Rutte said. He wants the allies to submit annual plans that lay out how much they intend to increase spending by. For Europe, Russia's war on Ukraine poses an existential threat. A major rise in sabotage, cyberattacks, and GPS jamming incidents is blamed on Moscow. European leaders are girding their citizens for the possibility of more. The United States also insists that China poses a threat. But for European people to back a hike in national defense spending, their governments require acknowledgment that the Kremlin remains NATO's biggest security challenge. The billions required for security will be raised by taxes, going into debt, or shuffling money from other budgets. But it won't be easy for many, as Spain has shown. On top of that, Trump has made things economically tougher by launching a global tariff war–ostensibly for US national security reasons–something America's allies find hard to fathom.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan, China, Bangladesh agree to enhance cooperation in trade, investment and maritime affairs
ISLAMABAD: Senior officials of Pakistan, Bangladesh and China on Friday vowed to enhance trilateral cooperation in various sectors such as trade, investment, health, education, maritime affairs and others, the Chinese foreign ministry said. Pakistan and Bangladesh are both part of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe. China envisions the BRI to be a global network of roads, railways, ports, energy pipelines and trade corridors that strengthens Beijing's trade ties with other regions for the benefit of its economy. Pakistan and China are historic allies while strained ties between Islamabad and Dhaka have started to improve since the ouster of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina last year. The China-Pakistan-Bangladesh Trilateral Vice Foreign Minister/Foreign Secretary meeting was held in Kunming, Yunnan on Thursday, to discuss cooperation in various sectors between the three countries. The meeting was attended by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Bangladeshi Acting Foreign Secretary Ruhul Alam Siddique and Pakistani Additional Secretary (Asia Pacific) Imran Ahmed Siddiqui. Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch participated in the first phase of the meeting via video link. 'The three sides agreed to explore and implement cooperation projects in such areas as industry, trade, maritime affairs, water resources, climate change, agriculture, human resources, think tanks, health, education, culture, and youth,' the Chinese foreign ministry said. The statement said Pakistan, Bangladesh and China will establish a working group to follow up and implement the understandings reached during the meeting on Thursday. The three sides emphasized that China-Bangladesh-Pakistan cooperation adheres to true multilateralism and open regionalism, not directed at any third party, it added. Pakistan's foreign office said Baloch conveyed Islamabad's readiness to work with China and Bangladesh to enhance ties in trade and investment, agriculture, digital economy, environment protection, marine sciences, green infrastructure, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges. 'The three sides agreed that trilateral cooperation would be guided by the principles of openness, inclusivity, good neighborliness, mutual respect and trust, while working toward win-win cooperation,' Pakistan's foreign office said. Pakistan has recently eyed closer cooperation in trade and investment with regional allies as it grapples with a macroeconomic crisis that has drained its financial resources, significantly weakened its currency and triggered a balance of payments crisis for the South Asian country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly spoken about his government's intention to enter 'mutually beneficial' partnerships with allies as opposed to seeking loans from them. In recent months Pakistan has signed memoranda of understanding with allies such as Saudi Arabia, China, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Turkiye and others worth billions of dollars.
