ISLAMABAD: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper acknowledged on Wednesday that Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered him “sound advice” on deescalating tensions with Iran.
“The United States does not seek conflict but will respond forcefully if necessary. Afghan President and Pakistani General Bajwa both offered sound counsel and advice in calls today,” Esper said in a Twitter post.
“I always appreciate speaking with our partners and allies in the region. We all seek the de-escalation of tensions with Iran,” he added.
— Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper (@EsperDoD)
Earlier, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, made a phone call to Gen. Bajwa to discuss the regional situation after the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top commander of Iran’s elite Al Quds force in Baghdad.
“#Pakistan’s Chief of Staff General Bajwa and I spoke today about US defensive action to kill Qassem Soleimani. The #Iran regime’s actions in the region are destabilizing and our resolve in protecting American interests, personnel, facilities, and partners will not waver,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Confirming Esper’s call, the Pakistan military’s media wing, ISPR, quoted Gen. Bajwa: “We would like situation to de-escalate & shall support all initiatives which bring peace in the region. We call upon all concerned to avoid rhetoric in favor of diplomatic engagement. We all have worked a lot to bring peace in the region by fighting against terrorism.”
“We would like situation to de-escalate & shall support all initiatives which bring peace in the region.We call upon all concerned to avoid rhetoric in favour of diplomatic engagement. We all have worked a lot to bring peace in the region by fighting against terrorism”,COAS.(2/3)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR)
He added that “we will continue to play our constructive part toward the success of Afghan reconciliation process so that it doesn’t get derailed and region goes toward conflict resolution instead of new conflicts.”
Author Zahid Hussain told Arab News on Wednesday that the best option for Pakistan was to stay out of the conflict and not allow itself to sucked into the conflagration in any way. “The latest escalation in the region has worsened Pakistan’s predicament as this is happening in its neighborhood. Pakistan doesn’t have any leverage to deescalate the tension,” Hussain said.
International affairs analyst Rasul Bakhsh Rais concurred that Pakistan could not do much to defuse tensions in the Middle East. However, he added that “no country, particularly in Iran’s neighborhood, wanted another war in the region. Pakistan is rightly concerned that hostilities in the Middle East will result in a sectarian conflict.”
Rais noted that Islamabad’s assertion that it would not allow its soil to be used against any country had sent out a clear signal that it would remain neutral in case of a conflict.
“In official interactions with the US and regional powers, it has emphasized de-escalation, avoidance of war and political means to settle problems,” he said.
This week, on Monday, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, vowed while giving a policy statement in parliament that Pakistan would not become a party to any regional conflict and its “soil will not be used against any other state.”
Qureshi also said that the US-Iran tensions could hit the Afghan peace process.
The foreign minister also spoke to his counterparts in Iran, Ƶ, and the United Arab Emirates after the missile strike killed Soleimani and discussed the unfolding situation in the region.
Qureshi also reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to play a role in preventing further escalation of tensions and maintaining regional peace and stability.
