Pakistan, Turkiye call for restraint as Middle East tensions escalate

In a high-level telephone conversation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the rapidly intensifying crisis in the Middle East, expressing deep concern over recent hostilities and urging all parties to exercise restraint to avert further escalation.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Shehbaz strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Iran and criticised subsequent “regrettable attacks on other brotherly Gulf countries.”

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s full solidarity with Gulf leadership and underscored Islamabad’s readiness to play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation and dialogue in the region.

Both leaders agreed that “maximum restraint by all parties” is imperative to prevent the conflict from spiralling further.

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They also exchanged views on evolving developments in Afghanistan, resolving to maintain close and frequent contact in their shared pursuit of peace and stability.

The conversation comes amid mounting international concern after a joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran triggered a broader regional flare-up, drawing responses from several Middle Eastern capitals calling for an immediate halt to hostilities and a return to diplomacy.

Turkey’s President Erdogan, speaking separately, has condemned the strikes on Iran as a clear violation of international law and stressed the urgency of diplomatic efforts to prevent further destabilisation across the Middle East.

The Pakistani government has been actively engaging a range of regional partners this week, sharing concerns and urging restraint in calls with leaders from Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Syria.

Islamabad has repeatedly emphasised that dialogue and diplomacy, rather than force, are the only viable paths to sustainable peace and stability in the region.