Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yousuf
The UK government has unilaterally canceled the visit of Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf without assigning any reason.
According to the report, the NSA was to visit the UK next week. Citing sources, The News said the trip was canceled due to Pakistan’s policy towards the standoff between Russia and Ukraine.
The European Union (EU) ambassadors in Islamabad issued a policy response via a joint press statement. Pakistan expressed its dismay, terming the statement as un-diplomatic and unacceptable.
Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar clarified in a media interaction on Friday that Pakistan has taken note of the joint statement issued by a group of EU envoys stationed in Islamabad.
“We expressed concern over the statement because as I said diplomacy should not be practiced, and I think they have realized that,” he said.
The spokesperson said that since February 24, when the crisis arose, there were talks at various levels with ambassadors in the Foreign Office at the level of Foreign Secretary, Additional Secretaries, Director Generals and others.
He said the foreign secretary was also meeting with some ambassadors and this was the normal course of diplomatic activities.
Iftikhar said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is also in touch with his counterparts. He spoke to the Foreign Minister of Hungary and will speak to other counterparts in the coming days.