Pakistan's FO: Will "Continue to Fulfil" Pact Obligations, But Leans on Diplomacy Over Confrontation

At his weekly briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi says Islamabad "will continue to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities" under the Makkah/Mecca agreement, describing it as "a framework for defence aimed at improving prospects for peace" rather than announcing any military response to the Sidr tanker attack. He points to Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir's visit to Tehran the previous week — focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, regional de-escalation and a negotiated settlement — and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's meeting with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan, as evidence Islamabad is using its pact position to mediate rather than escalate.