‘Planes stayed back because…’: ‘Pakistan admits Iranian military aircraft at its airbase but calls US media report ‘misleading’

Islamabad Peace Talks were held on April 11-12

Islamabad on Tuesday acknowledged the presence of Iranian military aircraft in Pakistan, but described a US media report on the matter as “misleading.”Also Read | Despite mediating in US-Iran war, Pakistan allowed Iranian aircraft use its airbases to avoid American strikes: ReportIn a statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said that the aircraft had arrived during the US-Iran ceasefire period following the initial round of peace talks and had “no linkage” to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.“Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace. The Iranian aircraft arrived during the ceasefire period and bears no linkage whatsoever to any military contingency or preservation arrangement. Assertions suggesting otherwise are speculative, misleading, and entirely detached from the factual context,” the statement noted.The FO added that after the ceasefire and during the first round of the Islamabad Talks, held on April 11 and 12, planes 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 talks process.It further noted that in anticipation of future rounds of negotiations — which ultimately did not materialise — some aircraft and support personnel remained in Pakistan.“Although formal negotiations have not yet resumed, senior-level diplomatic exchanges have continued. In this context, visits by the Iranian foreign minister to Islamabad were facilitated through the existing logistical and administrative arrangements. Pakistan remains committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at promoting dialogue, reducing tensions, and advancing regional and global peace, stability, and security,” the statement added.The “clarification” came after CBS News reported that days after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran had sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi, Islamabad’s twin city and home to the Pakistan Army headquarters.“Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report alleged.Responding to the CBS report, US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a complete re-evaluation of Islamabad’s role as a “mediator” in efforts to end the US-Iran conflict, which erupted on February 28 and has remained paused since April 8.The report surfaced days after Pakistan confirmed that it had received Iranian peace proposals and, acting as a mediator, conveyed them to the US side.(With PTI inputs)