ISLAMABAD(The COW News Digital) Pakistan will play its role in accordance with the requirements of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, the Foreign Office said on Thursday, while rejecting reports that Islamabad had warned Iran over bilateral trade.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said during the weekly media briefing that the Mecca defense agreement is operational and Pakistan will fulfill its commitments under the pact. He said there were currently no discussions between Pakistan and any party regarding a proposal of this nature.
The spokesperson said Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye are the founding members of the agreement and are holding regular consultations at different levels. He described the pact as purely defensive, aimed at strengthening regional security through deterrence.
Khan said the three founding countries were still working out the details of the arrangement. Any decision on expanding the agreement would be considered after its core mechanisms and principles had been finalized.
Pakistan-Iran Trade
On relations with Iran, the spokesperson said Pakistan would make decisions regarding trade agreements with Tehran in accordance with its national interests.
He categorically rejected a Reuters report suggesting that Pakistan had issued a warning to Iran, calling the report baseless.
Kashmir and Palestine
The Foreign Office reiterated Pakistan’s position that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute. Khan said Pakistan would continue raising the Kashmir issue at international forums, alongside the Palestinian cause.
He said Pakistan had consistently highlighted both issues during its tenure as a member of the UN Security Council and through its diplomatic missions.
Afghanistan Relations
Khan clarified that Pakistan had not decided to send all Afghan students back to Afghanistan. Students holding valid educational visas and university registrations would not be sent back, while those without university registration could face repatriation.
He said Pakistan wanted peaceful and stable relations with Afghanistan but stressed that preventing terrorism originating from Afghan territory was essential for improving bilateral ties.
Pakistan, he added, had hosted millions of Afghans over four decades and had provided educational and development assistance to Afghanistan.
India and Religious Sites
The spokesperson accused India of involvement in terrorism in Pakistan and expressed concern over the reported demolition of Islamic religious sites in India.
He said Pakistan condemned what it described as systematic destruction of historic Muslim religious and cultural sites, warning that such actions threatened religious heritage and minority rights.
International Anti-Narcotics Cooperation
Khan also highlighted a major international drug-trafficking operation involving Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force. He said intelligence shared by Pakistani authorities helped Sri Lankan officials disrupt a wider trafficking network after a major drug seizure in Karachi.
He said the case demonstrated the importance of timely international intelligence-sharing and cooperation.
