Islamabad | Pakistan's top civil and military leadership on Tuesday condemned the Iranian attacks on energy facilities in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, calling it a "dangerous escalation" that undermines regional peace and stability.
The attacks came as Pakistan was making last-ditch efforts to arrange a ceasefire between the US and Iran before the end of US President Donald Trump's deadline for a peace deal.
Prime Minister Shehbaz SharifPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he held a telephonic conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and conveyed Pakistan's "unwavering solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condemned the attack on the Al Jubail oil facility."
"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Saudi brothers and sisters,” he added.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said that the Government of Pakistan "expresses its deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the missile and drone attacks carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran last night against energy facilities in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Separately, the Pakistan Army described the Iranian attacks on Saudi energy facilities as "unnecessary escalation", which spoils sincere efforts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.
During the telephonic conversation, PM Shehbaz lauded the wisdom and sagacity of the Saudi leadership in exercising maximum restraint during the ongoing crisis, and said that Pakistan was working assiduously for the success of the peace efforts.
He apprised the crown prince of the latest developments in Pakistan’s mediation efforts to de-escalate the Middle East crisis. The crown prince appreciated Pakistan's peace efforts, aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region.
In a statement issued after the 274th Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, chaired by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the army earlier said the generals undertook a comprehensive review of the prevailing internal and external security environment.
"The Forum noted with concern and vehemently condemned the latest attacks on Saudi's petrochemical and industrial complex as an unnecessary escalation which spoils sincere efforts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means," it said.
"Forum noted that restraint and calibration so far exhibited by Saudi Arabia, despite grave provocations, enabled mediation and diplomatic resolution; however, such unwarranted aggressions have serious repercussions, to spoil the ongoing peaceful options and conducive environment,” it warned.
The commanders appreciated the hectic efforts by the Pakistan government to bring an end to the war in the Middle East, echoing the call for restraint, dialogue, and de-escalation, while reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to principled diplomacy and constructive engagement.
The generals categorically rejected what they called “persistent disinformation, baseless allegations, and false flag narratives attributed to India", noting that such tactics stand discredited internationally.
In its statement, the Foreign Office mourned the loss of life resulting from Iranian attacks on the Gulf countries and strongly deplored the damage inflicted on vital infrastructure.
Pakistan considers these attacks a serious violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a dangerous escalation that undermines regional peace and stability, the FO said.
Pakistan also reaffirmed its unwavering support for Saudi security, it added.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement last year, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.
The FO also condemned in the "strongest possible terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces."
"This reprehensible act constitutes a direct assault on the sanctity and historical character of the holy site and is a violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” it said.
It also said that Pakistan "categorically rejects all attempts by the Israeli occupying authorities to alter or undermine the established religious, historical and legal status of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and calls upon the international community to take urgent and effective measures to prevent such provocations".
Pakistan reiterated its unwavering and principled support for the "just cause of the Palestinian people, including their inalienable right to self-determination, and for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital", it said.
