ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s political and military leadership is maintaining contact with Iran to prevent attacks on Gulf countries and address misunderstandings amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, a senior government adviser told a local news channel on Wednesday.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah made the remarks after an in-camera briefing to update leaders of parliamentary parties and representatives of political groups on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts and the evolving security situation in the region.
The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Our political and military leadership has previously been in contact [with Iran] regarding this matter, and today as well they pleaded that they are maintaining those contacts and their effort is to remove any misunderstanding that may exist,” he told Geo TV. “Such attacks should not be carried out from Iran’s side.”
Sanaullah said participants at the meeting supported Iran’s right to respond to Israel but stressed that Tehran’s actions should not target Gulf countries.
The adviser said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also briefed the meeting on his contacts with various countries, particularly Gulf states, as Islamabad works to ease regional tensions.
Dar said earlier this wee he engaged with both Iran and Saudi Arabia as part of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation after joint strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets triggered a wider confrontation in the Middle East.
He told the Senate on Tuesday Pakistan had reminded Tehran of Islamabad’s strategic mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia while urging restraint. The agreement, signed last year, states that aggression against either country would be treated as an attack on both.
The Pakistani foreign minister also said Iran had sought assurances that Saudi territory would not be used against Tehran and that Islamabad had conveyed those assurances from Riyadh.
Pakistan has repeatedly said it is working to defuse tensions between Iran, Gulf countries and the United States as violence spreads across the region.
