Peace talks were held in Islamabad from April 11 to 12
Islamabad acknowledged on Tuesday the presence of Iranian military aircraft in Pakistan, but described an American media report on the matter as “misleading.”Read also | Despite mediating US-Iran war, Pakistan allowed Iranian planes to use its air bases to avoid US strikes: reportThe Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the plane arrived during the ceasefire period between the United States and Iran after the first round of peace talks and had “no connection” with any military contingency or arrangements for maintaining weapons.
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“Such speculative narratives appear intended to undermine ongoing efforts to achieve regional stability and peace. The Iranian aircraft arrived during the ceasefire period and have absolutely no connection to any military contingency or conservation arrangements. Assertions to the contrary are speculative, misleading and completely divorced from factual context,” the statement noted.The Foreign Ministry added that after the ceasefire and during the first round of Islamabad talks, which were held on April 11 and 12, aircraft from both Iran and the United States arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative personnel associated with the talks process.She also noted that in anticipation of the next rounds of negotiations – which ultimately did not materialize – some aircraft and support personnel remained in Pakistan.“Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, high-level diplomatic exchanges have continued. In this context, the visits of the Iranian Foreign Minister to Islamabad have been facilitated through the existing logistical and administrative arrangements.”
The statement added that Pakistan remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions and promoting regional and global peace, stability and security.The “clarification” came after CBS News reported that days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent several planes to Noor Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi, the twin city of Islamabad and the headquarters of the Pakistani army.“Among the military equipment is an Iranian Air Force RC-130 aircraft, which is a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed.In the wake of this revelation, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a “complete reassessment” of Islamabad’s role as a “mediator” in efforts to end the US-Iranian conflict, which erupted on February 28 and has been at a standstill since April 8.The report appeared days after Pakistan confirmed that it had received peace proposals from Tehran, acted as a mediator, and conveyed them to Washington.(with PTI inputs)