ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday urged Spain to play its due role to review ban on the Pakistan International Airlines fights.

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood held a video conference with Spanish State Secre­tary for Foreign Affairs Cristina Gallach.

The exchange of views covered a broad range of subjects including response to Cov­id-19 pandemic, bilateral relations, close co­operation in multilateral fora, and regional situation, said a foreign ministry statement.

The Foreign Secretary highlighted Paki­stan’s concern on temporary suspension of PIA flights into EU as follow up to EASA’s re­cent decision and called for its review. He un­derlined that all necessary steps were being taken by the government to ensure the high­est level of flight safety in PIA operations.

“PIA remained committed to maintaining the highest standards and quality in its op­erations,” he said.

The Foreign Secretary also extended con­dolences over the loss of precious lives in Spain due to Covid-19 and commend­ed Spain’s efforts to contain the virus and steps to revive the economy. He briefed his Spanish counterpart on the measures being taken by the government of Pakistan, with central focus on saving lives, securing liveli­hoods, and stimulating the economy.

The two sides exchanged views about the socio-economic effects of the Pandemic. The Foreign Secretary apprised his Spanish counterpart of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s domestic stimulus package as well as his call for “Global Initiative on Debt Relief” for developing countries. The Foreign Secretary expressed appreciation for Spain’s support for the initiative both in EU and G20.

The two sides also discussed bilateral trade and economic ties. The Foreign Sec­retary conveyed appreciation for Spain’s support for GSP Plus for Pakistan and also underlined the hope that concerted efforts would be made to safeguard Pakistan-Spain bilateral trade against the challenges posed by Covid-19 in the shortest possible time.

The Foreign Secretary shared Pakistan’s perspective on the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Occu­pied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K), moves to change demographic structure of the occu­pied territory in violation of internation­al law, and threat to peace and security in the face of intensified ceasefire violations on the LoC and belligerent actions from the Indian side. He stressed the importance of international community’s role in prevent­ing escalation of tensions and facilitating peaceful resolution of Jammu & Kashmir dispute in accordance with UNSC resolu­tions.

The two sides also reviewed the situation in Afghanistan and progress in the Afghan peace process. The Foreign Secretary high­lighted Pakistan’s positive contribution to the US-Taliban direct talks culminating in the Peace Agreement of 29 February 2020. He stressed that the Afghan leadership must seize this historic opportunity and work together through intra-Afghan nego­tiations to achieve a comprehensive and in­clusive political settlement.