FM to visit Tehran, Riyadh, Washington in bid to defuse regional tension

Published January 11, 2020
Qureshi will tour the three capitals to convey Pakistan’s desire to help in de-escalating the situation. — DawnNewsTV/File
Qureshi will tour the three capitals to convey Pakistan’s desire to help in de-escalating the situation. — DawnNewsTV/File

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is scheduled to open his regional trip on Sunday (tomorrow) with a visit to Iran for offering Pakistan’s help for defusing tensions prevailing in the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the assassination of senior Iranian commander Gen Qassem Soleimani by the United States in an airstrike in Baghdad.

He would later on Jan 13 visit Riyadh and then travel to Washington on Jan 17, a senior diplomatic source said.

Mr Qureshi would tour the three capitals for meeting his counterparts to convey Pakistan’s desire to help in de-escalating the situation.

Mr Qureshi has made a number of telephonic contacts with his counterparts over the situation. More recently, he spoke to Russian and Iraqi foreign ministers.

The foreign minister, meanwhile, met the new Iranian ambassador in Islamabad Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini on Friday at his chambers in the Parliament House.

Mr Qureshi told Amb Hosseini that Pakistan was determined to play its “positive role” for ending tensions in the region.

The Iranian ambassador said that Tehran was clear that it did not want escalation.

He, however, said that the countries counselling restraint need to, at least, first verbally condemn the incident.

Only afterwards can they ask the countries in the region and outside to de-escalate. He said those countries needed to stop treating the aggressor and the sufferer, the murderer and the slain, and terrorists and their victims equally, a diplomatic source revealed.

The foreign minister, on this occasion, recalled that the statement issued by the Foreign Office on Jan 3 had called for avoiding unilateral actions and use of force.

Mr Hosseini expressed similar sentiments in his speech at a condolence meeting for Gen Soleimani later in the evening. He did not name any specific country on both occasions, but it is well known that Iranians have not been very comfortable with the position taken by Islamabad on the incident.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2020

Editorial

Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...
Dangerous law
Updated 17 May, 2024

Dangerous law

It must remember that the same law can be weaponised against it one day, just as Peca was when the PTI took power.
Uncalled for pressure
17 May, 2024

Uncalled for pressure

THE recent press conferences by Senators Faisal Vawda and Talal Chaudhry, where they demanded evidence from judges...
KP tussle
17 May, 2024

KP tussle

THE growing war of words between KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi is affecting...