ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will play a role in efforts to restore peace in Gaza but will not participate in any initiative aimed at disarming Hamas, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said on Thursday.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, the spokesperson said the prime minister is currently in New York on an official visit to the United States at the invitation of President Donald Trump and will attend a meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace later in the day. Meetings with senior US officials are also expected during the visit.
He added that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also in New York, where the deputy prime minister held meetings with the Palestinian permanent representative to the United Nations and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
According to the spokesperson, prior to his visit to Austria, the deputy prime minister also held telephone conversations with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Egyptian counterpart.
The prime minister recently visited Vienna at the invitation of Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, where a joint communiqué was issued at the conclusion of the trip. During the visit, he also met International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.
The Foreign Office spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan’s role in Gaza would be limited to supporting peace efforts. “Pakistan is not part of any decision against any group or organisation,” he said, adding that Islamabad would participate in the peace process but would not be involved in efforts to disarm Hamas.
He expressed hope that the Gaza Board of Peace initiative would help improve humanitarian conditions for the people of Gaza.