Pakistan has urged the Afghan government to take swift action against the masterminds of the train hostage tragedy, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The Foreign Office also said that Islamabad had taken notice of the reports that the Donald Trump administration was likely to impose a ban on the entry of Pakistanis in the USA.
Addressing his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, FO spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said right now there was no confirmation of these entry ban reports. “These are merely rumours,” he added.
On the Jaffar Express incident, the spokesman said that Pakistan was targeting those terrorists who had sanctuaries outside its boundaries. “Those who carried out the attack had links with their collaborators abroad,” he added.
“We urge the Afghan government to take action against the people who had masterminded the Jaffar Express incident because they had their safe havens in Afghanistan,” he added.
Rubbishing reports that Pakistan wanted to close its border with Afghanistan at Torkham, Shafqat said it was merely propaganda. “The truth of the matter is that Afghanistan had tried to set up a checkpoint inside our territory,” he added.
The spokesman went on to say that four Pakistanis had been released on a court order in Spain. “We had requested for the consular access to other detained Pakistanis. But so far we have not been given that access,” he informed.
On an incident that took place at Los Angeles Airport involving Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkmenistan KK Ahsan Wagan, he said the ambassador was on a private visit to the USA, and that he had been allowed to go following second screening. “However, we are investigating the incident,” he added.
Shafqat said that China, being a time-tested friend, stood by Pakistan. “The entire world has condemned the Jaffar Express incident,” he added.
He went on to say that the Indian leadership’s statement on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) reflected their expansionist designs.
The spokesperson also denounced the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the ‘Awami Action Committee’ and ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of five years.
He said that the ‘Awami Action Committee’ was led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022.
“The recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organizations to 16. Banning of different political parties and organizations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the spokesperson remarked.
He said that the Indian decision also reflected a desire to suppress the political activities and stifle dissent besides showing sheer disregard of democratic norms and international human rights law.
Shafqat Khan also urged the Indian government to remove the curbs on the Kashmiri political parties; release all political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.
Israel’s blockade of Gaza aid condemned
The FO spokesperson also condemned Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and halting of electricity supply to Gaza, calling it the manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to weaponize aid and dehumanize the Palestinian people. He condemned the continuing Israeli assault against the people of West Bank and Gaza, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women and children.
He said that the Israeli attempts to dismantle the operations of the humanitarian agencies, including United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were unacceptable. “We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in West Bank and Gaza; protection of civilians; and unrestricted humanitarian access to those in urgent need. The international community must step in to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza. We also urge the international community to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he remarked.
He apprised the media of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar’s participation in the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held on March 7, 2025 in Jeddah, where he reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and urged immediate collective action to address the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people and safeguard their rights, including their right to return to their ancestral homeland.
The deputy prime minister also condemned the proposal of resettlement of Palestinians in other countries; underscored the imperative for the establishment of a sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital; and emphasized on the necessity of concrete measures to realize the two-State Solution as the only means of achieving lasting peace in the region.
Reporter: Anwar Abbas