Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has defended his absence from a recent regional meeting in Tehran, telling the National Assembly that the discussions did not fall within his ministry's remit. He was responding on Thursday to criticism from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had questioned why the defence minister was not present when senior regional figures met in Iran.

Fazlur Rehman questions the minister's absence

Fazlur Rehman raised the issue during his own address in the House on Wednesday. He asked why Asif had not attended the Tehran gathering, and questioned what role the Interior Ministry had in discussions of that kind. In a pointed turn of phrase, he repeated a remark Asif himself had once used against opponents in parliament, roughly translated as "have some shame; show some modesty", drawing laughter and desk-thumping from members.

Asif points to a peace dialogue, not a defence pact

Asif replied that the Tehran meeting was a peace and dialogue effort, not the negotiation of a new defence agreement involving Pakistan. He said Field Marshal Asim Munir had travelled to Tehran to promote regional dialogue, and that the military leadership had helped open discussions aimed at easing confrontation in the region, including between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The meeting, according to reports of the session, brought together Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Field Marshal Munir, Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian security council secretary Mohsen Rezaei, who agreed to keep talking on regional peace and security.

A wider row over regional diplomacy

Asif added that he remains directly involved in formal defence arrangements, including the Makkah defence pact and the Badr memorandum of understanding, but said the Tehran session was a separate initiative.

Sources: The AZB, Capital News Point.