Pakistan’s military is “cautiously optimistic” about its mediation between Iran and the United States, its spokesman said on Friday in his first interview since a high-level delegation visited Tehran this week.
asserted
delegation → say → Tehran
Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir — Pakistan's chief mediator in its efforts to de-escalate the now eight-month-old Iran war — has been to Tehran twice this month, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish officials.
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Munir → de → officials
“Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity?
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it → go → positivity
So yes, of course,” spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said when asked whether the trips were a positive sign.
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trips → say → course
PACT DOES NOT BAR NEW MEMBERS
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PACT → bar → MEMBERS
“The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic,” added Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations.
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Chaudhry → use → Relations
There were still "powerful spoilers and detractors," who believed conflict serves them, he added without naming them.
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he → be → them
Speaking in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Pakistan's armed forces are headquartered, Chaudhry declined to say what was discussed or whether the United States had backed the trip.
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States → speak → trip
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin joined Munir in Tehran on Monday.
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Salman → join → Monday
Their two countries signed a joint defence pact with Pakistan on August 7, saying an attack on any signatory will be treated as an attack on all.
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attack → sign → all
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement has taken on added significance as the Iran war has redrawn regional alliances and raised fears of a broader Middle East conflict.
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war → take → conflict
While the three signatories say the agreement is aimed at collective deterrence and regional security, analysts see its evolution as closely tied to efforts by regional powers to manage the fallout from the Iran-US confrontation.
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analysts → say → confrontation
After Monday’s talks, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said regional security should be ensured by regional countries without foreign intervention.
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security → say → intervention
The wording of the pact does not bar new members, Chaudhry said on Friday when asked whether Iran could join.
uncertain
Iran → bar → Friday
“Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not?
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who → have → deterrence
Everyone is most welcome,” he said, adding that it was for the political leadership of the three principal parties to decide.
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leadership → say → parties
Asked whether more Pakistani troops were being sent to Saudi Arabia under the agreement, Chaudhry said that would depend on the situation and the decision of both countries’ political leadership.
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that → ask → leadership
He said Pakistan was committed to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.
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Pakistan → say → Mecca
"We are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict," he added.
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he → add → conflict
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group has been reignited by the Iran conflict, stoking fears of a wider war.
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Fighting → align → war
On the home front, the federal government suspended the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), on October 11 and detained Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
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government → suspend → Afridi
The government had accused the provincial administration of failing to tackle militancy.
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government → accuse → militancy
The PTI rejected the allegations and says its government took part in counter-terrorism efforts.
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government → reject → efforts
PTI leaders called the move a pretext to crush protests.
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leaders → call → protests
Asked if there would now be larger military-led campaigns in the province, Chaudhry said that was not how the army conducted counter-terrorism.
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army → ask → terrorism
"Our counter-terrorism operations are based on what we call IBOs, intelligence-based operations...
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we → base → what
The tempo of the freedom of action of (those) IBOs will further increase," he said.
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he → increase → IBOs
Independents backed by Khan’s PTI won the most directly elected seats in the February 2024 election but fell short of a majority.
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Independents → back → majority
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the only province controlled by Khan’s party.
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Pakhtunkhwa → control → party
Khan has been in jail since 2023, and his supporters see the military behind his imprisonment and the dismantlement of the PTI.
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supporters → see → PTI
The army denies involvement in politics.
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army → deny → politics
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