ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office has rejected the Reuters claim regarding the planned visit of CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir to United States (US).
On December 17, Reuters reported that Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to fly to Washington to meet President Donald Trump in the coming weeks for a third meeting in six months.
The international media outlet claimed, quoting sources, that the meeting will likely focus on the Gaza force.
Addressing a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the report, stating that there was no information regarding any such visit.
“We have seen the media reports, but we have no information about any visit,” the spokesperson said.
Gaza ceasefire force
On Gaza, the spokesperson said no sovereign decision has been taken to join any ceasefire force. No decision has been made to send troops. Consultations are under way in global capitals. Palestine remains a core issue for the OIC, the Muslim world, and the UN Security Council.
Pakistan on India’s violation of IWT
Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson also talked about the “abrupt variation” in the flow of the Chenab River, noting that it had been in the news in the past week.
“Pakistan views these variations with extreme concern and seriousness. They allude to unilateral release of water into the Chenab River by India, without any prior notification,” Andrabi said.
“Our Indus water commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matters in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty,” he said.
“Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the life and livelihood as well as food and economic security of our citizens,” he said.
“We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by the Pakistani Indus water commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulation of river flow and fulfil its obligations in letter and spirit under the Indus Water Treaty provisions,” he said.
He further said that the Indus Waters Treaty was a “binding international agreement”, which had been “an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region”.
Under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, three rivers that flow westwards Indus, Chenab and Jhelum were awarded to Pakistan, with India getting three eastern-flowing rivers of the Indus Basin.
Andrabi said that violating the treaty threatened the “inviolability of international treaties and compliance with international law” and also posed a serious threat to “regional peace, principles of good neighbourliness, and norms governing interstate relations”.
“The international community must take notice of India’s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty, and counsel India to act responsibly and in accordance with international law and established norms as well as its own obligations,” Andrabi said.
“Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India but will not compromise on the existential water rights of the people of our country,” he said.
Also read: Pakistan Rejects False Claims by Indian Media on Gaza Troop Deployment
