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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Ministry on Thursday disputed media reports that portrayed a recent call between the two countries&#39; foreign ministers as Beijing pressuring Islamabad to do more on Iran-US mediation, saying the coverage misrepresented the exchange &quot;both in letter and spirit.&quot; In a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed appreciation for Pakistan&#39;s diplomatic role and offered full support, a characterization at odds with reports from several local and international outlets. Iran-US diplomatic engagement The spokesperson said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has been in sustained contact with regional and international counterparts over the Iran-US ceasefire efforts. According to the ministry spokesperson, Dar held separate calls with Singapore&#39;s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on May 8. The call with the Iranian FM primarily focused on the welfare and repatriation of Pakistani and Iranian seafarers aboard a vessel seized by US authorities near Singaporean waters. In a call on May 11, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud backed Islamabad&#39;s efforts and agreed on the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. On May 12, Austrian Foreign Minister Beat Meiniere Zenger expressed support for Pakistan&#39;s role in facilitating dialogue between Tehran and Washington. Iranian aircraft at Pakistani airbase The ministry categorically rejected a CBS News report alleging the presence of Iranian military aircraft at Nur Khan Air Base. Andrabi called the report &quot;misleading, speculative, and disconnected from factual context.&quot; According to the spokesperson, the aircraft arrived during a ceasefire period to support diplomatic engagement linked to the Islamabad talks. It carried diplomatic personnel, security teams, and administrative staff. The ministry spokesperson said the aircraft had no connection to any military contingency. Bannu terror attack Pakistan summoned Afghanistan&#39;s charg&eacute; d&#39;affaires in Islamabad following a terrorist attack on the Fateh Khel police post in Bannu on May 9. Over 15 officers were martyred, and several others were wounded. According to the spokesperson, a preliminary investigation backed by technical intelligence traced the attack to a group operating from Afghan soil. &ldquo;In the formal d&eacute;marche, Pakistan demanded immediate, concrete, and verifiable action against perpetrators, including those affiliated with Fitna al-Hind, [Fitna-al] Khawarij&rdquo; and &ldquo;ISKP,&rdquo; Andrabi said. PM calls on Qatar, Azerbaijan The spokesperson said that Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held calls with the leaders of Qatar and Azerbaijan. The talks covered regional developments and Pakistan&#39;s ongoing peace efforts.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi speaks during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, May 14, 2026. (MOFA/X)

Foreign Affairs

Spokesperson rejects media reports claiming Beijing pressured Islamabad on Iran-US mediation, saying Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi instead praised Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and expressed full support during the recent call.

Media misrepresented China-Pakistan call on Iran mediation: Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday debunked claims that Afghan forces conducted airstrikes on Pakistani military bases, calling the reports &quot;completely false.&quot; The move follows social media posts and news reports from Kabul alleging that the interim Afghan Taliban government targeted high-profile installations deep within Pakistani territory. Claims of strikes The Afghan Defense Ministry announced Sunday on the social media platform X that its air force had allegedly struck military bases in Pakistan. The ministry cited attacks near the Nur Khan base in Rawalpindi. <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2028176116096418246&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F4519%2F&sessionId=f3acbf03de11989d80aa5ca41fdf7613e1ac2b52&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> Local news outlets, such as TOLO news, reported that security sources said Afghan forces targeted the army corps headquarters in the city of Quetta, Balochistan. The report claimed the strikes responded to &quot;indiscriminate bombings&quot; by the Pakistani military. Indian media outlets amplified the fabrications a day later. They described a &quot;dramatic escalation&quot; in regional tensions. Some reports linked the hostilities to wider conflicts involving Iran, Israel and the United States. State rebuttal The information ministry&rsquo;s fact-check wing rejected the claims, describing them as &quot;futile efforts&quot; to create &quot;fake success stories.&quot; Officials stated the Afghan Taliban lack the capability to conduct long-range aerial attacks. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 948px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2028073199427059984&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F4519%2F&sessionId=f3acbf03de11989d80aa5ca41fdf7613e1ac2b52&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> The ministry noted the Taliban air force relies on a small fleet of aging Mi-17 helicopters and captured aircraft. It said the group lacks modern combat jets and maintenance support. The XII Corps headquarters in Quetta sits more than 150 kilometers from the border. Pakistan officials said the site is protected by robust air defense systems. Border allegations The claims follow a separate debunked report on Feb. 28 alleging a US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone landed at a Pakistani airbase in Jiwani. Pakistan officials stated that no foreign military is using their territory. They identified the drone as a specific US Navy model but said it never entered Pakistani airspace.

Officials load emergency relief supplies aboard a C-130 aircraft at Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on May 7, 2022. (APP) 

Security

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting debunked reports of Afghan airstrikes inside Pakistan, citing the Taliban's lack of long-range aerial capabilities and Pakistan's robust air defenses.

Articles tagged with "nur khan airbase"

Media misrepresented China-Pakistan call on Iran mediation: Foreign Office

Pakistan debunks fabricated Afghan reports of strikes on airbase