ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Thursday rejected Iran’s recent statement condemning violent clashes in its northwestern Parachinar town, saying it was “unwarranted” and based on an “incomplete picture” of the situation.
At least 32 people were killed and over 190 injured in clashes that erupted last week in Pakistan’s northwestern Kurram district, particularly its capital Parachinar town.
The Kurram tribal district has witnessed deadly conflicts among tribes and religious groups as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks over the years. The latest clashes broke out over a property dispute last week and quickly spread to nearby villages and settlements before the warring tribes agreed to a ceasefire on Sunday.
In a statement on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani condemned the “terrorist attack,” saying it had targeted Shia Muslims in Pakistan. He stressed the need for decisive action against militant groups to protect the lives of the people of Parachinar.
“Such statements about Pakistan’s domestic affairs are therefore unwarranted,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, (MoFA) said during a weekly press briefing.
“While details may be sought from the Ministry of Interior, we believe that these statements are based on an incomplete picture of the situation in Parachinar,” she added.
Baloch said Pakistan values the life, dignity and prosperity of all of its nationals as a multicultural and multifaith society.
“Pakistan is fully determined to foster social harmony, tolerance, and mutual respect,” she said.
Pakistan and Iran have had a history of rocky relations despite several commercial pacts. Their highest profile agreement is a stalled gas supply deal signed in 2010 to build a pipeline from Iran’s Fars gas field to Pakistan’s southern provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.
Pakistan and Iran also find themselves at odds due to the instability along their shared porous border, with their leaders routinely trading blame after militant attacks in their respective territories.
Earlier this year in January, the two countries exchanged airstrikes, with each government claiming to have targeted militant hideouts in the other country. Both states have since made peace overtures and restored bilateral ties through multiple high-level visits.
Pakistan says Iran’s statement on Parachinar clashes ‘unwarranted’
https://arab.news/c7swe
Pakistan says Iran’s statement on Parachinar clashes ‘unwarranted’
- Warring tribes last week clashed over property dispute in Pakistan’s Kurram district, leaving at least 32 dead, 190 injured
- Pakistan says Iran’s statement condemning violence based on “incomplete picture” of situation in Parachinar town
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
