Islamabad, March 3 Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that he was engaged in back-channel communication with leaders from Saudi Arabia and Iran following the outbreak of the conflict.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Dar said that he was in Saudi Arabia to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting when the conflict began, and he contacted the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran.
"I told my Iranian counterpart that we have a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia. He asked me to ensure that Saudi soil is not used against us," he said.
Dar said that after this communication, "there has been minimal impact of the war on Saudi Arabia."
He also said that Pakistan was actively playing its role to end the war.
Dar said that he had held telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Bangladesh, Palestine, Iran, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and the Vice President of the EU, following the start of hostilities.
Dar said that millions of Pakistanis were living in different Arab countries, and the Pakistani government was in contact with the host nations to ensure their protection and welfare in the wake of the conflict.
Dar confirmed that one Pakistani national was killed in the UAE in a missile attack.
He said that the Pakistani missions were working in all these countries and were ready to assist anyone trying to return. He said that so far, 792 people have returned from Iran.
He also said that the crisis management unit is operational 24/7 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist those affected by the conflict.
