Pak foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi calls for 'maximum restraint' amid West Asia tensions

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used in any kind of religious conflict. 

The Pakistan foreign minister's comments came after Qasem Soleimani, 62, the head of Iran's al-Quds force was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad on Friday amid heightened US-Iran tensions.

Pakistan's Foreign Office said that Qureshi had held telephonic conversations with the foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Turkey on Sunday while asserting that Pakistan was ready to continue to play a role in preventing further escalation and maintaining regional peace and stability.

"Highlighting Pakistan's deep concern over the recent developments, the foreign minister underscored the imperative of avoidance of conflict, the exercise of maximum restraint, and de-escalation of tensions," the Pakistan foreign office said in a statement.

According to the official statement by Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs, there was a wide-ranging exchange of views between Qureshi and the four foreign ministers on "the unfolding situation in the region".

Qureshi renewed call to all concerned parties to abide by the UN Charter and principles of international law to settle differences through peaceful means.

(Inputs: ANI)