Pakistan remains optimistic about a diplomatic resolution and will continue to support efforts to end the US-Iran conflict through dialogue, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Andrabi said Pakistan had consistently advocated restraint, negotiations and diplomatic engagement since the conflict began following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
Pakistan has taken several initiatives to facilitate a settlement. In June, Islamabad helped broker the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, while an earlier ceasefire reached in April had ended the most severe phase of hostilities between Washington and Tehran. However, intermittent clashes, particularly in and around the Strait of Hormuz, have continued to complicate efforts toward a lasting agreement.
Reviewing Pakistan’s recent diplomatic engagements, Andrabi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit earlier this week. The two leaders discussed the changing regional situation and efforts to restore peace.
The spokesperson said the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s position that restraint, dialogue and diplomacy were essential to achieving peace. He also highlighted the Islamabad MoU as a practical framework for securing long-term stability in the region.
Andrabi said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar separately held discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
He added that Pakistani and Iranian leaders had previously exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and Gulf during their meeting in Istanbul on the sidelines of discussions linked to the Makkah defence agreement.
The FO spokesperson also referred to Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s recent visit to Tehran. According to Andrabi, the visit formed part of Islamabad’s broader diplomatic initiative to help end the US-Iran confrontation and facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important route for global energy supplies.
He said discussions in Tehran focused on reducing tensions, overcoming the military deadlock and pursuing a negotiated solution aimed at restoring peace and stability across the region.
The visit, Andrabi said, demonstrated Pakistan’s “sincere and constructive role” in helping bridge differences between Washington and Tehran. He noted that the engagement also contributed to diplomatic momentum, subsequently reflected in visits to Iran by the leadership of Oman and Qatar.
Pakistan Welcomes PCA Ruling on Indus Waters Treaty
The Foreign Office also welcomed a recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) concerning the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), with Andrabi describing the decision as a significant affirmation of international law.
The court ruled that the treaty between Pakistan and India remains in force and binding, while also ordering measures concerning India’s Ratle hydroelectric project in occupied Kashmir.
Andrabi said the ruling rejected India’s unilateral decision to place the treaty in “abeyance” and confirmed that its obligations under the agreement remained intact.
He described the unanimous decision as an important reaffirmation of the treaty’s status and the principle that international agreements must be respected.
Relations between Pakistan and India over the sharing of river waters have deteriorated since New Delhi announced in April last year that it was putting the IWT in abeyance. The move was followed by a brief military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May 2025.
Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that the treaty contains no provision allowing either side to suspend it unilaterally. Islamabad had also argued that India’s move was inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
According to the FO spokesperson, the PCA’s latest order supported Pakistan’s position by confirming that India’s purported suspension of the treaty did not release it from its obligations.
He said the court had also determined that the treaty’s dispute-resolution mechanism continued to operate.
Referring to the interim measures concerning the Ratle hydropower project, Andrabi said the decision further established that rights and responsibilities arising from the treaty could not be changed through unilateral action.
