ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed evolving developments in the Asia and Middle East regions with his counterparts from Bangladesh and Malaysia, the foreign office said on Sunday, reaffirming Islamabad’s resolve to enhance cooperation with both states. 

Tensions escalated in Yemen this week after a Saudi-led coalition carried out a “limited” airstrike targeting weapons shipments from the UAE to the port city of Mukalla in southern Yemen. 

The coalition forces spokesperson said the weapons were meant to support the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, backed by the UAE, in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Al-Mahra “with the aim of fueling the conflict.”

Pakistan has expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and called on regional powers to resolve tensions with dialogue and diplomacy. 

“DPM/FM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with FM of Malaysia, Mohamad bin Hajji Hasan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. 

“They also exchanged views on recent regional developments, including the evolving situation in Asia and the Middle East.”

In a separate statement, the foreign office said Dar held a telephonic conversation with Bangladesh’s Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain. 

The two leaders also discussed developments in the Middle East and Asia, agreeing to remain in close contact. 

“The two leaders reviewed Pakistan–Bangladesh relations and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation across various sectors,” the statement said. 

The developments also take place in light of Bangladesh’s rising political tensions with Pakistan’s arch-rival India. 

Tensions between the two countries have surged in recent weeks after a 25-year-old Hindu man was lynched and burned publicly in Bangladesh following allegations of blasphemy. India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Bangladesh.

A few days later, Hindutva activists tried to storm the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, rallying against the neighboring nation for what they said was Dhaka’s failure to protect its Hindu minorities.

Ties between Dhaka and New Delhi have remained strained ever since the ouster of former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina in 2024, when she fled to India after her ouster in violent protests in the country. 

India has so far not accepted Bangladesh’s request to extradite Hasina, further stoking tensions between the countries.