ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday briefed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East, while condemning recent Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and reaffirming Islamabad’s support for Riyadh, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The outreach comes as Pakistan steps up diplomatic engagement amid a widening confrontation in the Middle East following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, which triggered retaliatory attacks and heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
Islamabad has been positioning itself as a potential intermediary, with media reports suggesting it has been conveying messages between Washington and Tehran since the start of the crisis. Recent media reports also claim that US-Iran talks can take place in Islamabad, highlighting Pakistan’s efforts to create space for dialogue between the two sides.
“[The Prime Minister] briefed the Saudi Crown Prince on Pakistan’s constructive diplomatic outreach to all parties urging de-escalation and resolution of differences through dialogue and diplomacy,” Sharif’s office said in a statement circulated after the phone call.
“The Crown Prince deeply appreciated Pakistan’s peace efforts,” it continued. “Both leaders agreed to maintain their close coordination between the two countries, at all levels.”
The said Sharif reiterated his country’s condemnation of the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia while expressing complete solidarity and unequivocal support for the Kingdom and its people.
“While appreciating the leadership of the Kingdom for demonstrating remarkable restraint in the current crisis, the Prime Minister reassured His Royal Highness that Pakistan would always stand by the Kingdom and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, just as they had always supported Pakistan, through thick and thin,” it added.
Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told the Senate he had engaged both Iran and Saudi Arabia as part of Pakistan’s efforts to prevent further escalation in the region.
Dar said he had also reminded Tehran of Islamabad’s joint defense pact with Saudi Arabia, signed last year, under which aggression against either country would be treated as an attack on both, while also urging restraint.
Pakistan has condemned both the strikes on Iran and Tehran’s subsequent attacks in Gulf countries, and has repeatedly said it is working through diplomatic channels to ease tensions in the region.
Sharif also emphasized an immediate end to hostilities and a return to normalcy to stabilize the situation in the Middle East.
He called for unity and harmony in the ranks of the Ummah during the phone call, adding it was needed more than ever before.
