KARACHI: Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), Mian Zahid Hussain said that the Middle East crisis is worsening; therefore, Pakistan needs to exercise caution.

The challenge for Pakistan will be to strike a balance between its relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that Pakistan’s reliance on Arab nations is growing due to challenging economic circumstances.

He said that the Middle East conflict is increasing, which can take any shape. It is most likely that this conflict will continue but will not turn into a major war, but still Pakistan has to be careful in this regard, he added.

He said that Pakistan’s dependence on Arab countries is increasing, but this relationship should not be at the cost of any third party.

In the current situation, balancing relations with Arab countries and Iran will be a severe test of our leadership in which success is the only option.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that President Asif Ali Zardari’s contact with his Iranian counterpart is very important in the current situation as the scope of tension between Israel and Hamas is expanding, and now Iran has also jumped into this matter.

Now, the US and Israel, with the help of their allies, will try to teach Iran an economic lesson instead of a military one.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that a few months ago, Iran had launched a missile attack on Pakistan in which some people were killed, to which Pakistan immediately retaliated, but due to diplomatic efforts from both sides.

That issue between the two neighbours was resolved, but trust was not fully restored, and both sides continued to accuse each other of supporting terrorists.

Mian Zahid Hussain said that Saudi Arabia wants to invest heavily in Pakistan, while millions of its Pakistanis also work there and send billions of dollars annually.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024