Pakistan is in ‘daily contact’ with Gulf states, China, minister

Pakistan is in ‘daily contact’ with Gulf states, China as hostilities rise, minister Khwaja Asif stated while addressing National Assembly.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated on Friday that Pakistan is maintaining ‘daily contacts’ with Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as well as its close ally China, amid concerns that the escalating tensions with India could spiral further.

The situation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors has worsened since India conducted airstrikes across Pakistan on Wednesday, retaliating for an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. India blames Pakistan for the attack.

Pakistan has denied any link to the Kashmir incident and claimed it shot down five Indian jets in response to India’s strikes. Since then, hostilities have intensified, with both sides accusing each other of launching drone assaults.

Major global powers, including the U.S. and China, have called on both nations to ease tensions.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Asif said Pakistan is in continuous contact with its Gulf partners, and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is also holding regular conversations with UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China.

He noted that Türkiye, China, and Azerbaijan had openly voiced their support for Pakistan, whereas other countries remained neutral in the ongoing conflict.

Asif also mentioned a visit by Iran’s foreign minister earlier this week, during which options for defusing the crisis were discussed.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance echoed the call for calm on Thursday, stressing the need for quick de-escalation, although he acknowledged the limits of U.S. influence over both countries.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al-Jubeir, is expected to arrive in Pakistan on Friday after visiting India, where he met Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who emphasized India’s stance on combating terrorism.

India and Pakistan have shared a tense history since their independence in 1947, having fought three wars—two of them over Kashmir—and engaged in numerous skirmishes since. Both nations, claiming Kashmir in its entirety, developed nuclear weapons in the 1990s.