Pakistan rubbishes claims of arms supply to Ukraine

Pakistan on Thursday denied it was supplying any defence items to Ukraine in order to shore up its military capabilities in view of the Russian invasion.

“The reporting about the supply of defence items by Pakistan to Ukraine is not accurate. Pakistan maintains a policy of non-interference in military conflicts,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the chief Foreign Office spokesperson told reporters in Islamabad at the weekly briefing.

Responding to a question about the reports of Pakistan supplying arms to Ukraine, the spokesperson made it clear that Pakistan only “exports defence stores to other states based on strong end use and non-retransfer assurances”.

“And this is the case of Pakistan's position in the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” she further clarified.

Pakistan has maintained a delicate balance since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago. Despite pressure from the US and its western allies, Islamabad has not publicly denounced Russia, though it does raise concerns over the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

Read more: Pakistan stance on Ukraine unchanged: FO

Islamabad also twice abstained from voting on a resolution at the UN General Assembly session against Russia.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also been the subject of domestic controversy as former prime minister Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring against him after he refused to cancel a visit to Moscow.

But the Russian Ambassador in Pakistan in a recent interview said the US might be unhappy with Imran’s Moscow trip in February last year but his ouster through a vote of no-confidence had to do more with the domestic situation in Pakistan.

When asked, the spokesperson refused to dwell on the controversy insisting it was an “old story.” She would also not comment on the Russian Ambassador’s interview, saying that those were his “personal remarks.”

To another question, the spokesperson said that cypher controversy was now a thing of the past. “We believe that this controversy is in the past, it has been discussed and debated and settled and we do not wish to address it any further,” she replied when asked to comment on the recent change of stance by Imran where he said the alleged conspiracy originated from Pakistan and not the US.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan was encouraged by the positive momentum in its relations with the United States and the engagement that was taking place both here and in Washington DC.

“We believe that the ongoing visits will contribute to further strengthening of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States,” she further said.