Pakistan concerned at ME situation

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday it viewed with “deep concern” the recent developments in the Middle East, which seriously threaten peace and stability in the region.

Pakistan showed concern after an attack by the US forces near Baghdad International Airport on Friday killed senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chief of Iraq’s paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

“Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, which should be adhered to,” the Foreign Ministry of Pakistani said without mentioning the American attack.

“It is also important to avoid unilateral actions and use of force,” a foreign ministry statement said in Islamabad.

The statement urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, engage constructively to de-escalate the situation, and resolve issues through diplomatic means, in accordance with UN Charter and international law.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Thursday night that the U.S. forces had made a strike that killed Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“At the direction of the President (Donald Trump), the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani,” said the Pentagon in a statement.

Soleimani was an Iranian Major General in Iran’s IRGC, and was the commander since 1998 who was primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations.

Al-Muhandis was one of the Iran-backed paramilitary leaders in Iraq. He was the de facto commander of the Hashd Shaabi Forces in Iraq who headed the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades as well.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences over the death of Soleimani and called for three days of mourning. He vowed “harsh revenge awaits” those who killed Soleimani.