ISLAMABAD: In response to the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, Pakistan has initiated the evacuation of diplomats’ families and non-essential embassy personnel from Iran, a senior Foreign Office official confirmed.
In a statement, the FO official said that the families are being relocated as a precautionary measure, while certain members of non-essential diplomatic personnel are also being recalled.
However, the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran and its consulates in the country will continue to operate normally, the official clarified, adding that Pakistan’s diplomatic missions in Iran remain fully functional.
Israel launched its air war after saying it concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Its surprise attack has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military and its leading nuclear scientists.
The attacks have also killed more than 220 people in the Islamic Republic. Iran has retaliated with barrages of drones and missiles that have killed more than 20 people in Israel.
Israel claims that it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days. Iran has so far fired 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, said an Israeli military official.
Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to US demands that it accept strict curbs on its nuclear programme.Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that.
Meanwhile, the federal government is taking measures to bring back Pakistanis, including students, from war-hit Iran, with nearly 714 nationals arriving in Pakistan from Iran via buses through the Taftan border, immigration officials said on Monday.
The passengers included citizens, traders, and drivers, officials said, adding that special security arrangements had been put in place due to the Iran-Israel conflict.
