ISLAMABAD, March 22: The government on Saturday voiced its “deep anguish and dismay” over the situation in Iraq after the US-led invasion and urged the United Nations Security Council to act for an early end to the Iraqi people’s sufferings.

Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri said in a statement that Pakistan was in touch with the international community and was playing a constructive role in the Security Council. Pakistan is currently a non-permanent member of the council.

He said Pakistan’s efforts would focus on prohibiting civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, particularly to the holy places, averting a humanitarian disaster, preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and Iraqi people’s right over its natural resources, and ensuring that the war was not prolonged.

“The government and people of Pakistan have reacted with deep anguish and dismay on the current situation in Iraq,” he said in a reference to the devastating air strikes launched overnight on Baghdad and other Iraqi cities with the ground advance from the south of the country.

“We have already deplored the initiation of military action against Iraq,” he said.

“We hope that the limits imposed under the humanitarian law in a situation of warfare as pointed out by the International Committee of the Red Cross are observed to avoid suffering to the civilian population of Iraq,” the minister said. He said the primary responsibility conferred on the Security Council by the UN charter for the maintenance of international peace and security had “never weighed more heavily on the members of the council than in the last few days.”

“In view of the emerging and pressing problems which the international community now faces, it is imperative that the Security Council should address these issues so that the sufferings, pain and misery of the people of Iraq are brought to an early end,” he said.

Stressing the need to avert a humanitarian disaster for the Iraqi people, he said the military action should not prolong.

The foreign minister said that the civilian casualties and infrastructure damage, particularly to the civic services and the holy places, must be prohibited.