‘Planes remained grounded because…’: ‘Pakistan accepts Iranian military aircraft at its airbase, but calls US media report ‘misleading’
Islamabad peace talks were held on 11–12 April
Islamabad on Tuesday acknowledged the presence of Iranian military aircraft in Pakistan, but described US media reports on the matter as “misleading”.Read this also Despite meditating in US-Iran war, Pakistan allowed Iranian aircraft to use its airbase to avoid US attacks: ReportIn a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said the aircraft arrived during the US-Iran ceasefire period following the initial round of peace talks and had “no connection” with any military contingency or protection arrangement.
“Such imaginary stories are aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace. The Iranian aircraft arrived during the ceasefire period and have no connection with any military contingency or protection arrangement. Claims suggesting otherwise are imaginary, misleading and completely divorced from the factual context,” the statement said.The FO said that after the ceasefire and during the first round of Islamabad talks held on 11 and 12 April, aircraft from both Iran and the United States had arrived in Pakistan to facilitate the movement of diplomatic personnel, security teams and administrative staff associated with the negotiation process.It further added that in anticipation of a future round of talks – which ultimately did not succeed – some aircraft and support personnel remained in Pakistan.“Although formal talks have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued. In this context, the Iranian Foreign Minister’s visit to Islamabad was facilitated through existing logistical and administrative arrangements. Pakistan is committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions, and advancing regional and global peace, stability and security,” the statement said.The “clarification” came after CBS News reported that Tehran had sent several aircraft to Noor Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi, Islamabad’s twin city and home to the Pakistan Army headquarters, days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April.“Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence gathering version of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report alleged.Following the revelation, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a “complete reassessment” of Islamabad’s role as a “mediator” in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict, which began on 28 February and has been stalled since 8 April.The report came days after Pakistan confirmed that it had received Tehran’s peace proposals and, acting as a mediator, had delivered them to Washington.(With PTI inputs)