Pakistan has condemned Houthi militia attacks on Saudi Arabia and reiterated its support for the kingdom’s right to self-defence, while urging the Afghan Taliban to prevent their territory from being used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.
Speaking at the Foreign Office’s weekly briefing for journalists, spokesperson Khan also rejected a provocative statement by India’s defence minister, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and announced the launch of an e-Attestation system for verifying educational credentials.
Pakistan has strongly condemned attacks by the Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia, with the Foreign Office spokesperson saying the kingdom has Pakistan’s full support in exercising its right to self-defence.
Sajjad Haider Khan said the attacks posed a threat to regional stability. He also noted that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had condemned attacks on Saudi Arabian airports.
The spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s position in support of Saudi Arabia amid security concerns arising from the attacks.
Pakistan urges Afghanistan to stop terrorism
Addressing the security situation in Afghanistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan would welcome any positive efforts by friendly countries to improve conditions in the neighbouring country.
He said Pakistan remained in contact with multilateral forums, the international community and friendly nations regarding Afghanistan. Islamabad’s objective, he added, was to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan while ensuring that Afghan territory was not used to threaten Pakistan.
Khan said Pakistan continued to face a major challenge from terrorism, alleging that terrorist activities in the country were being carried out from Afghan soil. He specifically linked terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan and said Indian proxies were also involved in terrorist activities within Pakistan.
The spokesperson stressed that Pakistan wanted assurances from Afghanistan that its territory would not be used for attacks against Pakistan. However, he said the Afghan Taliban were unwilling to provide such assurances.
Afghan Taliban deny terrorism concerns
The spokesperson said Pakistan maintained a firm position against state-sponsored terrorism and called on the Afghan Taliban to take concrete measures to prevent the use of their territory against Pakistan.
He said the Afghan Taliban had refused to acknowledge what Pakistan considers the reality of terrorist activity originating from Afghanistan.
According to Sajjad Haider Khan, the Afghan side had acknowledged the issue until recently, but its statements had since changed.
Pakistan urged the international community to play its role in establishing peace in Afghanistan and ensuring that the region could be rid of terrorism originating from Afghan territory.
The spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan had always prioritised peace and continued to seek security and stability in Afghanistan.
Pakistan rejects Indian defence minister’s statement
The Foreign Office spokesperson also rejected what he described as a provocative statement by India’s defence minister.
Khan said Pakistan had delivered an effective response to Indian military provocations last year, adding that the country would firmly defend its security against any act of aggression.
He reiterated that Pakistan would take the necessary steps to protect its national security in the face of threats.
Colombia’s embassy in Jerusalem, e-Attestation system
During the briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson also expressed strong opposition to Colombia’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
“We strongly condemn Colombia’s decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem,” the spokesperson said.
Separately, the Foreign Office announced steps taken in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to improve public services, particularly the verification of educational credentials.
Sajjad Haider Khan said an e-Attestation system had been launched to facilitate the verification of academic documents.
The spokesperson also confirmed that a departmental inquiry was underway into alleged financial irregularities involving the verification of educational credentials in the past.
The inquiry is intended to examine the allegations relating to the previous credential-verification process, while the new digital system forms part of efforts to improve public service delivery.
