Transcript of the Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson on Thursday , 26th February 2026

globalsecurity.org · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ladies and Gentlemen Assalam o Alaikum! I welcome you all at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I will begin with a roundup of the activities over the past week. From 23-24 February, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif undertook an official visit to Qatar, at the invitation of the Ameer of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with His Highness the Emir of Qatar. The two leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of political engagement and underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. His Highness the Ameer reiterated Qatar's commitment to a deepening economic partnership to a higher strategic level. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and peaceful resolution of disputes. The visit reflects the shared resolve of Pakistan and Qatar to further solidify their robust partnership and translate their strong political ties into tangible economic outcomes. His Highness the Ameer graciously accepted the invitation to visit Pakistan. The visit shall take place later this year. During the visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud Al Thani, also called on the Prime Minister. The two sides discussed bilateral cooperation in defence and security and the ongoing collaboration between the armed forces of the two countries. H.E. Sheikh Saoud appreciated the professionalism and expertise of the Pakistan Armed Forces and conveyed Qatar's interest in deepening defence partnership between the two countries. The meeting reflected the shared resolve of Pakistan and Qatar to further elevate their strategic partnership across all areas of mutual interest. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is on a visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 26-28 February 2026 to participate in the Extraordinary Ministerial Session of the OIC Executive Committee. We issued a Curtain Raiser to this visit yesterday. As you know, the meeting has been convened to consider the illegal decisions of the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied West Bank. In the Ministerial Session, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister will share Pakistan's perspective on the latest illegal measures by Israel to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into so-called "state land." Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, while in London, spoke with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, regional & international developments, including the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., which they both attended. They agreed to maintain close coordination on all matters of mutual interest. Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Dr. Khalil ur Rahman, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, felicitating him on his recent appointment. Both leaders expressed desire to further strengthening bilateral ties, with a shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity. They also agreed to expand cooperation across diverse sectors and in multilateral fora, building a forward-looking partnership for the peoples of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine—along with the secretariats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), League of Arab States (LAS), and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—strongly condemned remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to control territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank. They described the comments as dangerous, inflammatory, and a clear violation of international law and the UN Charter, warning that they threaten regional security and stability. Secretary Generals of the Arab League and the OIC and a host of countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brazil, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Egypt, the Luxembourg, Norway, Palestine, the Portugal Qatar, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Türkiye, and the UAE. We condemned in the strongest terms a series of recent Israeli decisions that introduce sweeping extensions to unlawful Israeli control over the West Bank. Changes are wide-ranging, reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israeli 'state land', accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration. *** (Nimra Sohail, PTV): Sir, this month marks 19 years of Samjhauta Express tragedy and the victims of this tragedy are still awaiting justice. What are your comments about it? Spokesperson: Yes, you are right. This is 19th anniversary of Samjhauta Express Terror attack, in which scores of civilians, including Pakistani civilians - 68 in total including 44 Pakistani nationals were killed. We express our severe disappointment at Indian Government's callousness towards the plight of the families of the Pakistani nationals and others, including Indian nationals I believe, who await justice even after the passage of so many years, 19 years. This callous response confirms India's role as an official and political accomplice in the heinous terrorist attack carried out on its soil against innocent civilians, Pakistanis and others alike. In this regard, the Government of Pakistan condemns the shameless acquittal and exoneration of all four perpetrators: Swami Aseemanand, who publicly confessed being the mastermind of the heinous attack, Lieutenant Colonel Purohith, a serving Indian army officer, and one Sadhvi Prayaga Singh Thakur. We are alarmed that the Hindutva extremism and saffron terror that had motivated this inhumane attack 19 years ago has intensified manifold under the current regime in India. The Government of Pakistan demands a fair trial of the perpetrators and abettors of Samjhauta terrorist attack be brought to justice. The families of innocent Pakistani nationals mercilessly killed at the hands of the Hindutva motivated extremist deserves justice. Let me add that India routinely indulges in anti-Pakistan propaganda, including by exploiting the bogey of terrorism. And in this backdrop, India's own systemic exoneration of the perpetrators of Samjhauta terrorist attack is yet another example of Indian duplicity and state sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan. (Zafar Malik, The Mainichi Japanese): My question regarding Prime Minister visit to Qatar, there were reports that the basic purpose was although one of the agenda point was to indirect communication with the Afghan government after recent clashes. So what are your comments Spokesperson: The Prime Minister's Office has issued a detailed press release on the meeting that took place. I have also briefed you on this subject. The regional issues were discussed, including possibly Afghanistan. This is what I can confirm at this stage. (Shaukat Piracha, AAJ News): Two questions. You just talked about bogey of terror from India, when Pakistan, in its self-defense, had strikes against terror camps inside Afghanistan. The Indian External Affairs Ministry (MEA) issued a statement which, in fact condemned Pakistan. So when so many voices, they are raising concerns about Pakistan, self-defense rights that was exercised duly. What's your comment? Sir, my second question is that on the sideline of the Board of peace meeting in Washington, five countries, they have committed the troops for ISF. So whether Pakistan is actively considering or waiting for the question that Marco Rubio said, we owe certain answers to Pakistani question, what is the status of our decision, sir, thank you. Spokesperson: On your question regarding the Indian MEA's statement: we completely reject India's statement. In fact, the statement vindicates our stance that India continues to aid and abet terrorism in Pakistan through its support for BLA, the Fitna Al Hind and other terrorist organization in the region. We possess concrete evidence of India's involvement in sponsoring and abetting terrorism. India's MEA's statements (that you referred and, also the statement that Indian MEA made after the terrorist attacks in Balochistan) reinforce this conclusion. These statements provide an additional evidence, circumstantial evidence, of India's complicity in promoting terrorism in Pakistan. As regarding the second question about ISF troops: I gave a detailed response last week; no decision has been taken as yet from Pakistan. (Saifullah, Khyber News): My first question is, Pakistan military has been successfully defending the country's border amid ongoing tension with Afghanistan, and the Foreign Office also has actively demarche the Afghan Ambassador to signal Islamabad position, not that these measures have been taken. What additional diplomatic steps could Pakistan pursue to further address the situation with Afghanistan? My second question is given the reports of internal divisions within Taliban, is Pakistan currently engaging in dialogue with any specific fraction? Additionally, is there any level of contact or engagement between Pakistan and the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan? Spokesperson: First on Pakistan's military response: we will respond swiftly, strongly in exercise of our right to self-defense. This message has been put across through all international stakeholders. As regards taking international community and other foreign governments and entities into confidence, there are two tracks of this engagement. First is the, the bilateral trade, where we engage with the countries, particularly Afghan n