Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that Pakistan is actively working through diplomatic channels to help bring parties involved in the Middle East conflict to the negotiating table.
Briefing Pakistan’s Senate, Dar said Pakistan issued its first reaction to the situation on February 28, after which reports emerged about the martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had issued a statement expressing his regret over the development.
The foreign minister recalled that when Iran was attacked in June last year, Pakistan had also made efforts at that time to help defuse tensions. Following the recent attack on Iran, he said, Pakistan has again been trying to ease the situation through secondary diplomacy.
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Dar told the Senate that over the past three days, Pakistan has been in touch with various countries in an effort to bring diplomacy back to the fore and encourage dialogue. He said Pakistan believes the issues can be resolved through talks and mutual understanding rather than escalation.
Sharing details of his recent engagements, Dar said he had spoken late at night with Oman’s foreign minister. He stressed that Iran is Pakistan’s neighboring and sister Muslim country and noted that some of the information he was sharing with the Senate had not even been revealed to the media.
Pakistan, he said, remains committed to playing a constructive role in reducing tensions and promoting dialogue in the region.
