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PAKISTAN BACKS DIPLOMACY AS FEARS OF RENEWED MIDDLE EAST WAR GROW
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ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON Saleem Jadoon/agencieS
AKISTAN’s Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to promoting diplomacy and constructive engagement to achieve peace in the region, amid a continued deadlock between the United States and Iran over ending the conflict, and rising tensions fuelled by ongoing
Israeli military operations in Lebanon. The situation further escalated as Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the Israeli army carried out an airstrike on Burj Qalawiya in the Bint Jbeil district, alongside artillery shelling in the same area. It also reported that Israeli forces set fire to multiple houses in the border village of Khiam. According to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks over the past two months has risen to 2,659, with 8,183 people wounded between
March 2 and May 2. The wider Middle East conflict, which has significantly destabilised the region, began with coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, followed by the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The war has remained on hold since April 8 following a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire, although diplomatic efforts have struggled to advance after one unsuccessful round of talks held in Pakistan. The conflict has severely disrupted global
energy markets, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries nearly 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies, and has triggered sharp volatility in international oil prices. Dar telephonic talks with Kuwaiti FM Against this backdrop, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Saturday to discuss the evolving regional situation and its broader economic implications, according to a statement posted by the Foreign
Office on X. “During the talks, FM Dar underscored Pakistan’s continued efforts to promote constructive engagement and diplomacy in support of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” the Foreign Office said. It added that the Kuwaiti foreign minister commended Pakistan’s “sincere efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and security for the Ummah as well as the wider international community.”
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