FO responds to K-P CM Gandapur’s Afghan plan, says foreign policy is federal subject

Provincial authorities do not have the mandate for foreign policy, says Mumtaz Zahra Baloch

ISLAMABAD:

The Foreign Office on Thursday stressed that foreign policy remains a federal responsibility, responding to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s plan to send his own delegation to Afghanistan to address security concerns.

"Foreign policy is a federal subject, and it is the prerogative of the Government of Pakistan to pursue it," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly briefing.

This came after Gandapur’s announcement to send a K-P delegation to Kabul triggered backlash from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in the National Assembly. The Foreign Office’s response was cautious but clear that provincial authorities do not have the mandate for foreign policy.

Baloch added that any public figure's proposals related to foreign policy must be approved by the federal government. “Decisions will be taken in Pakistan's national interest,” she said.

When asked whether the K-P delegation could travel in a private capacity, the spokesperson clarified that Pakistani officials and citizens are free to visit other countries privately, but such trips are not directed by the government.

"As for any official engagements, these are premature for us to comment on until a formal proposal is made," she added.

The Foreign Office also confirmed recent clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces, in which 16 Taliban fighters were reportedly killed. Baloch described the September 7 incident as "an unprovoked attack on Pakistani check posts from across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border," adding that Pakistan would continue to defend itself from such provocations.

On a separate issue, Baloch reiterated Pakistan’s support for Kashmir, rejecting Indian Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remarks. "Pakistan has always stood for the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," she said, criticising India's portrayal of its occupation as an internal matter.

"India’s claims ring hollow in the face of decades of suppression of the Kashmiri people," she concluded.