ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Friday officially announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26.
During his weekly press briefing, Andrabi said the visit was being made at the invitation of the Chinese government and carried added importance as the two countries were also commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
He said the visit would provide an opportunity to reaffirm the enduring strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic partnership and advance the shared vision of building an even closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future. During the trip, the prime minister is expected to hold meetings with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang.
According to Andrabi, the two sides will review bilateral relations and discuss cooperation in political, economic and strategic fields. He added that the visit was expected to further strengthen political trust, deepen strategic coordination, expand practical cooperation and consolidate the longstanding friendship between the two countries.
The FO spokesperson said Prime Minister Shehbaz would begin his visit from the Chinese city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, where he would chair the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference. In Beijing, the premier will also attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China. Later, the Foreign Office also issued a separate statement sharing details of the upcoming visit.
During the briefing, Andrabi was also asked about India’s rejection of the May 15 supplemental award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the Indus Waters Treaty. Responding to the query, he said India’s rejection carried “no political or legal value”.
“Pakistan rejects this legally untenable attempt to dismiss the PCA’s supplemental award,” Andrabi said, adding that the arbitration mechanism had been constituted under the treaty and its awards were final and binding. He stressed that India’s refusal to participate could not invalidate lawful proceedings.
Reiterating Pakistan’s stance, Andrabi said the award reaffirmed Pakistan’s long-standing position that the treaty imposed substantive limits on India’s water control capabilities over the western rivers. He further maintained that India’s claim of holding the treaty in abeyance had no legal basis and that the agreement remained fully in force.
The FO spokesperson also urged the international community and the United States to take note of continued human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Referring to May 21, he recalled the death anniversaries of Kashmiri leaders Mirwaiz Maulvi Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, who were killed in 1990 and 2002 respectively by unidentified gunmen.
Paying tribute to the leaders, Andrabi said Pakistan saluted the courage of Kashmiri martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the right to self-determination. He described the killings of innocent Kashmiris and their leaders as a chilling example of the impunity defining the human rights situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and called on the international community to hold India accountable and ensure a just resolution of the dispute.
Andrabi also expressed concern over what he termed “continued politically motivated questionable cases” against Kashmiri leaders. He said India was suppressing legitimate Kashmiri voices through arbitrary detentions and sham trials while misusing its judiciary to pursue a political vendetta against the Kashmiri leadership.
He called for the release of political prisoners, human rights defenders and civil society activists in occupied Kashmir, again urging the international community, including the United States, to play a constructive role by holding India accountable for alleged human rights abuses and ensuring the release of detainees.
Responding to reports about a “high-level delegation” from Pakistan visiting Iran, Andrabi said the Foreign Office could neither confirm nor deny the claims. He made the remarks when questioned about reports suggesting that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had visited Iran.
“We can neither confirm nor deny these reports,” Andrabi stated. He also clarified that recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s visit to Iran and not any other visit.
Rubio had said on Thursday that he believed “Pakistanis will be travelling to Tehran today”, while Mohsin Naqvi was already in Tehran holding meetings with the Iranian leadership. Andrabi further said the Pakistani leadership remained in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, adding that such interactions were part of Pakistan’s ongoing engagements with neighbouring countries.