Pakistan again stresses talks to resolve Ukraine conflict

Author: Agencies

Pakistani government on Wednesday reiterated that dialogue is the only way forward to resolve the crisis, a private TV channel reported.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on security matters. The meeting was attended by the civil and military leadership of the country.

The TV channel reported that that the meeting discussed issues related to national security and also reviewed the security situation in the country. Strategic consultations were also held and important decisions were taken given the regional situation, they added.

Officials privy to the matter said the government has decided to pursue an “independent foreign policy” and urged that negotiations were the right way to resolve the Russia- Ukraine conflict.

The meeting decided that Pakistan was not in favour of tensions under any circumstances.

On February 24, PM Imran Khan, while meeting with Russian President Vladamir Putin in Moscow, had regretted the latest Kyiv-Moscow conflict and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict.

The president and the prime minister’s meeting had lasted for more than three hours, during which they discussed Islamophobia, Afghanistan, bilateral, regional, and South Asian issues, among other “important matters”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.