According to a brief statement of the Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made a telephonic contact with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday. It stated that the two sides discussed the security situation of region during their conversation. "The two sides agreed on a joint effort to reduce tensions in the region," it added.

This was part of the foreign minister's diplomatic outreach to various counterparts in the region to exchange views on the unfolding situation in the region.

Earlier on January 5, Foreign Minister Qureshi held telephonic conversations with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE and Turkey.

Highlighting Pakistan's deep concern over the recent developments, the foreign minister had underscored the imperative of avoidance of conflict, exercise of maximum restraint, and de-escalation of tensions. The foreign minister also reaffirmed that Pakistan would neither let its soil be used against any other state nor would it become part of any regional conflict.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020