Pakistan refutes reports of Pakistan Army fighting alongside Azerbaijan

Pakistan has refuted reports claiming that Pakistan Army is fighting alongside Azerbaijan against Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a press release on Friday, Foreign Office (FO) said that the reports are baseless, adding that such reports were 'irresponsible'. The FO statement reiterated Pakistan's concern regarding the deteriorating security situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

"The intensive shelling by Armenian forces on civilian populations of Azerbaijan is reprehensible and most unfortunate," FO said. The statement said this could compromise the peace and security of the entire region and urged Armenia to stop its military action to avoid further escalation.

"Pakistan supports Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh, which is in line with the several unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council resolutions," the statement added.

Earlier, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev thanked Pakistan for its support and said that Azerbaijan’s army did not need external help.

In an interview to WIONews, Avet Adonts, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister said that 'can't exclude the possibility of Pakistanis' on the ground amid clashes. He said it will not be a surprise for us, recalling how in the 1990s Pakistani nationals were present when war broke in Nagorno-Karabakh

Since last week, Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have been engaged in the heaviest fighting in years over Karabakh. The region is an ethnic Armenian province that broke away from Azerbaijan. Both sides have been blaming each other for the outbreak of violence.