Pakistan playing role of ‘bridge builder’ in ongoing Middle East dispute: FO
Published on March 12, 2026
External Office (FO) representative Tahir Andrabi stated on Thursday that Pakistan was playing the role of a “bridge builder” during the ongoing
An illustrative image related to: Pakistan playing role of ‘bridge builder’ in ongoing Middle East dispute: FO, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: Dawn.com
Pakistan playing role of ‘bridge builder’ in ongoing Middle East dispute: FO
External Office (FO) representative Tahir Andrabi stated on Thursday that Pakistan was playing the role of a “bridge builder” during the ongoing US-Israeli conflict on Iran.
The conflict began as the US and Israel launched strikes on Tehran on February 28, which also resulted in the assassination of Iranian Supreme Head Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In retaliatory strikes, Iran has targeted US assets and bases in Gulf countries, against which a formal declaration was adopted in the United Nations Global protection body on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been calling for de-intensification , with Premier Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Premier and External affairs chief Ishaq Dar holding phone calls with dignitaries from relevant countries over the past few days.
On Thursday, Andrabi gave a round-up of the phone calls during his weekly press short report. During the question-answer bit, a reporter observed that Dar had previously spoken about Islamabad “shuttling communications between Tehran and Riyadh to try to ease tensions”.
“Has that been Pakistan’s role between Tehran and any other country?” the FO representative was asked.
In response, Andrabi stated: “ As regards the communication that we may have between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries – yes, we have had an open channel of communication.”
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