Pakistan says won't be part of regional conflict
Pakistan will not take sides in the escalating confrontation between neighbouring Iran and the United States, its foreign minister said on Monday, following the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 02:18 | 06 January 2020
- Modified Date: 05:06 | 06 January 2020
Pakistan's foreign minister says his country will not let its soil be used against any other state and the Islamic nation will not become part of any regional conflict.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi's comments followed his contacts with the foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. He called for restraint and de-escalation as tensions rise over the U.S. killing of Iran's top military commander.
Qureshi in a Twitter post on Monday added that Pakistan's position is very clear in standing for peace and stability and that "violence must be avoided."
Pakistan has been a key ally of the United States in its war on terror since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. It is also closely allied with Saudi Arabia but tries to maintain a diplomatic balancing act between Riyadh and Tehran.
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