
Pakistan-India conflict: Senate panel commends role of MoFA
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs' meeting was held on Monday to deliberate on the recent Pakistan-India conflict and to assess the diplomatic and international engagements led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The committee session began with Chairman Senator Irfan Siddiqui paying tribute to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its exceptionally tremendous role during the conflict. On behalf of all committee members, he lauded the Foreign Office for its tireless, round-the-clock diplomatic efforts, which ensured that Pakistan's narrative was presented effectively to the international community.
Chairman Siddiqui commended the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, the Secretary MOFA, Amna Baloch, and all the officers of the ministry for their hard work and tireless efforts to promote Pakistan's narrative and to fight, so brilliantly the country's case at the international level
The in-camera session was attended by senators, Sherry Rehman, Musadik Masood Malik, Syed Ali Zafar, Rubina Qaimkhani, and Zeeshan Khanzada. Also present were Secretary Amna Baloch and Mehmood Nizami, Director General (South Asia) of the ministry, Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesperson of the ministry, and other concerned representatives.
The committee, unanimously, endorsed the chairman's statement and emphasised the unprecedented nature of the conflict, which was led under the democratically elected civil government. 'This was the first war in the history of Pakistan where political leadership was at the forefront,' Senator Siddiqui remarked. 'The Parliament, civil government, and all its institutions, combined with the brave armed forces of Pakistan played a sustained and integral role, presenting a democratic face to the world.'
A comprehensive briefing was made by the ministry officials on the diplomatic strategy adopted during the conflict, focusing particularly on engagement with global stakeholders and friendly countries. The mediation efforts proposed by the president of the United States, were also discussed
Senators actively engaged in the session, which also included deliberations on Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Members posed critical questions and offering their viewpoints.
The committee collectively appreciated the ministry's consistent communication with the international community, its swift and appropriate responses to evolving global narratives, and its successful projection of Pakistan's stance on international forums.
The chairman of the committee observed that India had not only suffered setbacks on the military front, but also faced a significant diplomatic and political defeat. 'India's aggressive designs have been fully exposed to the world,' Irfan Siddiqui stated, highlighting the exemplary strategic civil military coordination achieving victory for Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
13 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India hails trade deal in talks with visiting British FM
NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday a trade deal with Britain was 'truly a milestone' that will boost bilateral ties as he welcomed his counterpart David Lammy to New Delhi. India and Britain struck a long-delayed free trade agreement last month after negotiations were relaunched in February. Britain has sought to bolster trade ties across the world since it left the European Union under Brexit, a need that became more pressing after the United States unleashed a global tariff blitz that risks causing weaker economic growth. 'The recent conclusion of the India-UK FTA… is truly a milestone which will not only propel our two-way trade and investment but will also have a positive effect on other strategic aspects of our bilateral ties,' Jaishankar said after meeting Lammy, who is on a two-day visit. Lammy says UK, US working to ensure enduring Pakistan, India ceasefire, dialogue 'It would also contribute to the strengthening of supply and value chains,' he said. The accord will slash tariffs on imports of UK goods into India, including whisky, cosmetics and medical devices. In exchange, Britain will cut tariffs on imports of clothes, footwear and food products, including frozen prawns, from India. Britain and India are the sixth- and fifth-largest global economies respectively, with a trade relationship worth around 41 billion pounds ($54.8 billion) and investment supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries. They hope the free-trade agreement will increase trade between them by about 25.5 billion pounds, as well as boost the British economy and wages. Talks were relaunched in February after stalling under Britain's previous Conservative administrations. Lammy said before his visit the deal with India was 'just the start of our ambitions'.


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Pakistan rejects Modi's misleading remarks
Modi likely to skip G-7 summit in Canada amid cold war between two countries. PHOTO: FILE Listen to article Pakistan firmly rejected the baseless and misleading remarks made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), and making hollow claims of development in the disputed territory. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson stated that such statements represented a deliberate attempt to deflect international attention from the grave and persistent human rights violations being committed in a territory under foreign occupation. The Foreign Office statement came after Modi made his first visit to IIOJK since the April 22 Pahalgam attack triggered a four-day war between the two nuclear-armed countries. During the visit, Modi launched a string of development projects for the disputed territory. "We are deeply dismayed that the Indian Prime Minister has once again chosen to accuse Pakistan of involvement in the Pahalgam attack, without presenting a single piece of credible evidence," the Foreign Office statement said. "Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed territory, the final status of which is to be determined in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the will of the Kashmiri people. No amount of rhetoric can change this legal and historical reality," it added. "Claims of development in IIOJK ring hollow against the backdrop of an unprecedented military presence, suppression of fundamental freedoms, arbitrary arrests, and a concerted effort to alter the region's demography in violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention." The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan remained steadfast in its principled support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for their rights and dignity. It urged the international community to hold India accountable for its reign of oppression in IIOJK.


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Only 14% MNAs attend all sittings of 16th NA session
Two supplementary resolutions were adopted by the house which were about paying tributes to the sacrifices of the armed forces on Defence Day and condemning terrorism in Quetta and Mardan. PHOTO: FAFEN The 16th session of the National Assembly that spanned over 13 sittings between May 5 and 22, 2025, saw only 14% members making 100% attendance, while 9% of the members were absent during the entire session, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said in its report on Thursday. Fafen is a civil society network focused on strengthening democracy. It said in its latest report that consistent with the previous sessions, female attendance was generally higher than that of their male counterparts during the session last month. "The highest attendance was recorded during the first sitting, with 237 members (76%) present. During this sitting, the House suspended its regular agenda to discuss the recent Pakistan-India conflict," the report said. The lowest attendance was recorded during the last sitting, with 174 members (55%) present. This sitting was initially adjourned after just 13 minutes because of the lack of quorum. The House reconvened after 15 minutes and passed The Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Bill, 2025. Fafen said that 150 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) skipped sittings without advance leave request; 118 (44%) submitted a leave application, including 25 (21%) in advance and 37 (31%) applied ex-post facto after returning from their leave. It added that 268 members (86%) missed at least one sitting during the current session. The report said that 16 female MNAs, including 14 on reserved seats, attended all the sittings, while five female MNAs, including two on the reserved seats, recorded zero attendance. Region-wise, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory lawmakers recorded the highest percentage of MNAs attending more than half of the sittings, it said, adding that majority of lawmakers from the SIC, the PML-N, the JUI, and independents attended more than half of the sittings. A lack of ministerial presence weakened legislative oversight, Fafen said in the report. Among the 29 federal ministers, who were expected to be present during the Question Hour to respond to queries from lawmakers, only 15 (52%) were marked present during the sittings.