ISLAMABAD, March 20: Pakistan has asked the UN Security Council and Muslim Ummah to strive for bringing an early end to war on Iraq, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said here on Thursday.

Addressing the Central Working Committee of Pakistan Muslim League (Q), he said Pakistan made sincere efforts to avert war and took a principled stand by not supporting any military action against Iraq.

Mr Jamali said Pakistan could not support war against any country.

He said he had promised to take the people and parliament into confidence on matters of national interest. He said he himself made a statement on the Iraq crisis in parliament, and also called a special cabinet meeting to draw up a strategy on the issue.

The decision was taken in the best interest of the country and in agreement with the public sentiment, he said.

The prime minister said the country was faced with a difficult situation but the developments at the global level “required us to face these challenges.”

He assured that the country was in safe hands, and there was no threat to its sovereignty.

He called the opposition to join hands with the government to take the country on road to progress and development.

“We are in touch with all member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference on the issue of Iraq,” Jamali informed participants of the meeting.

He assured that Pakistan Muslim League and its allied parties would continue all efforts for achieving peace.

He thanked the leadership of allied parties for supporting the PML (Q) in the election of chairman and deputy chairman Senate. Senators and MNAs of the party attended the CWC meeting.

President of the party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who is also parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, presided over the meeting.

Senator Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi presented a brief analysis of the Iraq issue.

The meeting also adopted a unanimous resolution deploring US attack on Iraq. —APP