Islamabad, March 20 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held telephone conversations with the leaders of Malaysia, Egypt, 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 the peace and harmony of the Ummah, and called for "de-escalation of the ongoing hostilities in Iran and the Gulf region."
They agreed to continue working together to advance peace efforts in this regard, the PMO statement said.
"Both leaders also expressed satisfaction at the positive momentum in bilateral relations and reaffirmed their shared resolve to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia fraternal relations," it added.
Sharif later posted on X about the 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."
Sharif also spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and reaffirmed the strong and fraternal ties between the two countries. He appreciated Egypt's constructive role in advancing peace efforts in West Asia.
"We also discussed the evolving situation in Iran and the Gulf region, and agreed on the importance of continued diplomatic efforts for de-escalation and restoration of peace and stability," Sharif said in a post on X.
He also conveyed warm Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to El-Sisi and the people of Egypt.
Sharif also 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 PMO said in a statement.
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 Uzbekistan 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," it 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.