Delegations to project country's perspective
ISLAMABAD: Pursuant to the prime minister's directive, two high-level multiparty delegations started their visit to New York, Washington DC, Moscow, London and Brussels on 2 June 2025 to project Pakistan's perspective on the recent Indian aggression.
In response to media queries, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed that, under the PM instructions, the Pakistani delegations will engage with key capitals, to present the country's perspective on recent Indian aggression and Pakistan's measured and responsible conduct.
FO Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said in a statement on Monday that a nine-member Pakistani delegation is led by Chairman Pakistan People's Party, and former Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The other members of the delegation include Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr Musadik Masood Malik; Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and former Minister for Information and Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman; Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar; former Minister for Commerce, Defence and Foreign Affairs, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan; former Minister for Maritime Affairs, Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari; and Senator Bushra Anjum Butt.
Bilawal-led delegation reaches US
The delegation also includes two former Foreign Secretaries, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani (retired), who also served as Caretaker Foreign Minister, and Ambassador Tehmina Janjua (retired). Another delegation, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi, will visit Moscow from 2 June 2025, the spokesperson added.
The visits of these delegations are aimed at projecting Pakistan's perspective on the recent Indian aggression. The delegations will highlight Pakistan's responsible and restrained conduct – seeking peace with responsibility – in the face of India's reckless and belligerent actions in violation of international law. They will also highlight that dialogue and diplomacy should take precedence over conflict and confrontation, Ambassador Shafqat remarked.
'The delegations will underscore the imperative for the international community to play its due role in promoting a lasting peace in South Asia,' he said, adding the need for immediate resumption of the normal functioning of the Indus Waters Treaty will also be a key theme of the delegations' outreach.
The delegations will engage in a series of meetings with the leadership of international bodies, public office holders, senior officials, parliamentarians, think tanks, media and diaspora.
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
20 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
PM Shehbaz says Pakistan-US relations entering new era
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday declared that Pakistan-US relations are entering a new era while expressing hope that the recent ceasefire with India would prove lasting and durable, APP reported. Speaking at the US Embassy's Independence Day ceremony, the PM emphasized enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, IT, energy, and agriculture. PM Shehbaz noted historic bilateral relations, recalling US support for Pakistan's early nation-building projects like dams. He highlighted Pakistan's sacrifices as a frontline state post-9/11, suffering 90,000 casualties and $150 billion in economic losses. The PM called the Pulwama incident a 'false-flag operation,' citing Pakistan's restraint despite India's 'aggression,' including downing six Indian jets in self-defense. He praised President Trump's 'peacemaker' role in brokering the ceasefire after US officials urged de-escalation during clashes in May.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Reliance, Airtel group challenges ‘low' India satcom fee which can help Starlink
NEW DELHI: A group representing Indian telecom giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel has said their businesses will suffer if India prices satellite spectrum at 'unjustifiably low' rates that benefit satellite internet services such as Elon Musk's Starlink. India's telecom regulator in May proposed satellite service providers pay 4% of their annual revenue to the government for offering services. Starlink had lobbied India not to auction spectrum but just assign licences in line with a global trend, saying it is a natural resource that should be shared by companies. The Cellular Operators Association of India in a May 29 letter to the telecoms ministry sought a review of those pricing proposals, saying traditional players pay higher upfront auction charges for telecoms spectrum which make their payments to the government for spectrum roughly 21% higher, when compared to what satellite players would pay. 'Price per MHz should be equivalent or at least comparable for both, especially when used to reach the same consumers for identical services,' said the letter, seen by Reuters. 'Satellite services can offer competitive and affordable alternatives to terrestrial broadband,' it added. Reliance, led by Asia's richest man Ambani, and Airtel didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. Starlink was not immediately available for comment. A senior Indian government source told Reuters on Wednesday the telecoms ministry is still reviewing the pricing recommendations made by the regulator, adding such industry concerns have been raised in the past. Telecom players like Reliance Jio are concerned they will be offering similar wireless broadband services as satellite providers but paying much more, said an industry source with direct knowledge of the situation. Reliance and others have spent nearly $20 billion in recent years to get 5G spectrum via auctions to offer telecom, data and broadband services. Ambani's company unsuccessfully lobbied New Delhi for months to auction satellite spectrum, and not allot it administratively as Musk's Starlink wanted. Though Reliance and Airtel have signed distribution deals in March for Starlink equipment, they will continue to compete with Musk's offerings to customers once launched. The process of Starlink getting a license is 'nearly complete', telecoms minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told The Print news website on Tuesday.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
India's Vedanta says Trump's tariffs damaging, seeks import curbs
Indian metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's doubling of aluminium tariffs to 50% poses a threat to the Indian industry already struggling with surging imports. Trump's latest round of tariffs on aluminium and steel, which took effect on Wednesday, have unsettled the global markets. 'The 50% tariff announced by Trump is damaging to the Indian aluminium industry, which is already under pressure from surging imports that threaten to create surplus and risk to domestic market access,' a Vedanta spokesperson told Reuters. The miner, which is the country's largest aluminium producer, urged the Indian government to implement tariffs to protect against imports. '..There should be duty guard-rails for the aluminium industry as well which has so far invested more than $20 billion to set up the current domestic primary aluminium capacity,' the spokesperson said. India's cumulative aluminum exports fell 19% to 2.24 million metric tons in the fiscal year ended March 2025, according to government data. Separately, the country's federal steel minister said earlier this week that the impact of Trump's steel tariffs would be minor on the local industry, as India, the world's second-largest crude steel producer, does not export to the U.S. in significant quantities. In April, India imposed a 12% temporary tariff on some steel imports, locally known as a safeguard duty, to curb a surge in cheap shipments primarily from China.
