Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Sunday rubbished media reports that Pakistan plans to send troops to Qatar, according to Radio Pakistan.
Zakaria added that the foreign media reports were “fabricated and baseless,” the state-run daily reported.
The spokesperson alleged that the reports were part of a “malicious campaign” seeking to drive a wedge between Pakistan and its Gulf allies.
Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) Urdu had earlier reported that a draft bill seeking the deployment of 20,000 troops to Qatar had been presented before the National Assembly and was later approved by the house.
The report by the Turkish state-run daily added that, upon adopting the bill, the NA urged Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resolve their differences through dialogue.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives severed their ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism in an unprecedented rift between the most powerful members of the GCC.
Qatar denied these allegations, terming them as ‘false and baseless’.
The crisis is being touted as the biggest in the Middle East and has led Pakistan, along with countries around the world, into coming up with a suitable strategy to end the conflict.
On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved legislation for increased military cooperation with Qatar, including a deal for the deployment of Turkish troops there.
The legislation, which also foresees cooperation in military training, was rapidly passed in parliament on Wednesday, a day after Erdogan openly sided with Qatar and criticised other Gulf countries’ moves to isolate it.
A six-member Qatari delegation, headed by businessman Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri, reportedly visited Pakistan during the past week and relayed a message from the Qatari Emir asking Pakistan to play a positive role in resolving the diplomatic crisis engulfing the Middle East.
The FO, however, officially denied having any knowledge of the visit and stressed the need for unity among Muslim countries.
The FO said that Pakistan wishes to see the crisis resolved in the best possible manner.