Islamabad, March 20 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held telephonic conversations with leaders of Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan, among others, on Friday, discussing the situation in West Asia.
Sharif's calls to these leaders came a day after he had similar conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
On Friday, Sharif also congratulated the leaders on the occasion of Eid, apart from discussing bilateral issues.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), during his phone conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the two leaders prayed for peace and harmony within the Muslim community, and called for "de-escalation of the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Gulf region."
The PMO statement said that the two leaders agreed to continue working together to advance peace efforts in this regard.
"Both leaders also expressed satisfaction at the positive momentum in bilateral ties and reaffirmed their shared resolve to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia fraternal relations," it added.
Sharif later posted on X about the phone call with Ibrahim and their discussions, and how they agreed on continued joint efforts "to promote peace through dialogue and diplomacy."
The prime minister had earlier spoken with Ibrahim on March 5 and briefed him on "recent developments regarding Afghanistan."
The PMO in a post on X said that Sharif held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and discussed "the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Gulf region."
"The prime minister reiterated his strong condemnation of the attacks against Azerbaijan and expressed full solidarity and support with the brotherly people of Azerbaijan in these challenging times," the statement said.
It added that both leaders called for an immediate de-escalation, urging "dialogue and diplomacy" to resolve outstanding issues.
Separately, the prime minister reiterated the same in a post on his X account.
PM Sharif also called Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and "exchanged views on the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Gulf region and stressed upon the need for an immediate de-escalation and use of dialogue and diplomacy for resolution of all disputes," the PMO said.
The two leaders "expressed satisfaction on the highly successful outcomes of the Uzbek president's visit to Pakistan last month," the PMO stated.
The PM, in his post on X later, added: "I ... underscored the importance of continued follow-up to further strengthen bilateral partnership."
The prime minister has been making calls regularly to world leaders to encourage diplomacy to resolve the current conflict in West Asia.