Pak won't be party to US-Iran conflict: FM Qureshi

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has confirmed that Islamabad would not become party to the ongoing US-Iran conflict that heightened after the death of Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in an American drone attack last week.

Addressing the Senate on Monday, Qureshi said that according to regional experts, the repercussions of Soleimani' death could be more severe than the 2011 raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the 2019 killing of Islamic State (IS) chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Dawn news reported.

"I decided to contact the important foreign ministers of the region. Yesterday (Sunday) I talked in detail with the Iranian Foreign Minister and presented Pakistan's stance on the incident and gained information from him," he said.

"The situation in the Middle East is very sensitive, fluid and concerning."

Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan "does not support any unilateral action and is against the use of force as it never resolves matters".

"Pakistan backs principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the UN charter," he said, adding that Pakistan urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint.

"Pakistan's soil will not be used against any other state," Qureshi said, adding that Islamabad "will not be party to this regional conflict".

Pakistan had on Sunday reaffirmed its resolve not to become a part of any conflict in the region and renewed its offer for mediating in the Middle East crisis, Dawn news reported.

The offer was formally conveyed by Qureshi during the telephonic conversation with his counterparts from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.