"Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry statement on Tuesday came hours after US President Donald Trump said the month-old truce was on massive life support as he dismissed Iran's latest peace proposal as a piece of garbage that he had not even finished reading."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Tuesday called the report misleading and sensationalised, saying the aircraft had arrived as part of diplomatic logistics linked to talks in Islamabad between senior US and Iranian officials on April 11. Pakistan said both Iranian and US aircraft used the base."
"The Iranian aircraft currently parked in Pakistan arrived during the ceasefire period and bear no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement, the ministry said. The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that any significant foreign military presence at the base would be impossible to hide."
"Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context, it said, adding that Pakistan had consistently acted as an impartial, constructive and responsible facilitator throughout the process. The denials, however, have done little to calm concerns in Washington."
Pakistan rejects claims that it sheltered Iranian military aircraft to protect them from potential US strikes. The denial follows a report that Iran moved several military aircraft, including an RC-130 reconnaissance plane, to Pakistan Air Force Base Nur Khan near Rawalpindi after an April 8 ceasefire. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says the aircraft arrived as part of diplomatic logistics connected to talks in Islamabad between senior US and Iranian officials on April 11, with both Iranian and US aircraft using the base. Pakistan states the Iranian aircraft parked during the ceasefire has no linkage to any military contingency or preservation arrangement and that any significant foreign military presence would be impossible to conceal. Washington remains concerned as the ceasefire faces uncertainty.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]