'Not defence ministry's mandate': Asif responds to Fazl's remarks about his absence at Tehran huddle

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif responded on Thursday to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s remarks regarding the former’s non-participation in a recent huddle in Tehran. The meeting brought together officials from member countries of the Makkah Defence Alliance — Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin — in Tehran, where Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei joined…