Islamabad: Pakistan says considering the interconnected nature of global trade, the imposition of tariffs by the United States, can have far reaching effects, particularly on developing countries. At his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan hopes for a swift and mutually beneficial resolution of the issue.
According to Radio Pakistan, the Spokesperson mentioned that as for imposition of tariffs on Pakistan is concerned, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a steering committee and a working group to examine the fresh tariffs. Replying to a question, the Spokesperson said the recent discontinuation of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Programme between Pakistan and the United States marks an end of fifteen years engagement which has played a pivotal role in academic and cultural enrichments of thousands of Pakistani students.
He stated that Pakistan believes that student exchange programmes are crucial in strengthening bilateral relations by focusing on education, scientific and technological collaborations, and people-to-people contacts. Regarding the prevailing situation in Gaza, the Spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the upcoming high-level international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestine dispute and the implementation of a two-state solution, hoping that the moot would rise to the occasion and restore hope in peace and justice through meaningful action.
The Spokesperson lauded France and Saudi Arabia for co-chairing the preparatory consultations for the June 2025 Conference. He emphasized that Pakistan sincerely hopes the June Conference will rise to the occasion and restore hope in peace and justice through meaningful action. He stressed that in the lead-up to the Conference, the ceasefire must be fully implemented; the blockade on Gaza must be lifted; humanitarian access must be guaranteed; and civilians and humanitarian personnel must be protected.
The Spokesperson asserted that any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians or annex their land must be unequivocally rejected and effectively prevented. He also strongly condemned the continued aggression and atrocities committed by Israeli occupying forces and the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency and civil defense workers during direct gunfire in the latest incidence of brutality.
Turning to the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he condemned the Indian authorities’ denial of permission to hold Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the historic Jama Masjid and Eidgah in Srinagar, as well as on the holy night of Laila-tul-Qadr. Replying to a question about the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Indian Lok Sabha, the Spokesperson termed it an act to dispossess Muslims from their properties including mosques and shrines and marginalizing the minorities.