Staff Reporter:
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar phoned Bangladesh For-eign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday evening to brief him on Islamabad’s position and steps taken in light of the escalating tensions with India.
“He called me at 8 PM last night to inform me about what exactly happened and what steps Pakistan are taking regarding the matter,” Touhid told reporters at his ministry yesterday evening.
The adviser clarified that the Pakistani foreign minister did not seek any assistance or specific response from Dhaka during the conversation.
“I simply stated that we want to see a peaceful environment prevail in the region,” Touhid said, adding, “Measures should be taken to de-escalate tensions … no untoward incidents should occur that could esca-late tensions. That is our expectation, we want any problem to be resolved through dialogue and discus-sion,” he added.
Responding to a question, he said if New Delhi sought his views on the issue, he would express the same message.
“If Delhi wants to know from me, I will say exactly the same thing. If they don’t want to brief me, then I have nothing further to say,” he added.
“Since the foreign minister of Pakistan called me, I told him that we want peace, we do not want any conflict here.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, in a statement issued via its official Facebook page, said the deputy prime minister and foreign minister had briefed the Bangladeshi adviser on the escalating regional tensions resulting from “India’s unfounded allegations and unilateral measures, in-cluding its arbitrary decision to suspend provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.”
“The Foreign Affairs Adviser expressed concern regarding the current situation and stressed the im-portance of exercising restraint by all parties, emphasizing the need for de-escalation,” read the state-ment.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh, and emphasized the importance of maintaining regular high-level engagements, it added.
