—File Photo

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the situation in the Middle East is grave and the region cannot afford any new confrontation, he expressed these views during a meeting on Thursday with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York 

The Foreign Minister apprised the UN Secretary-General about Pakistan's steps to defuse tensions in the Middle East that emerged due to US-Iran standoff.

He also informed the UN Secretary-General about his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and Iran, which he paid on the special directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan in a bid to deescalate tensions in the region.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi also exchanged views with António Guterres about gross human rights violations by the Indian forces in Occupied Kashmir.

Occupied J&K is an internationally recognized dispute that has been on the agenda of UNSC for 7 decades. Today’s discussions have once again reaffirmed its Int'l dispute status and the urgency to resolve it in accordance with UNSC resolutions & aspirations of the Kashmiri people. https://t.co/3LswvCxXYl

— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) January 16, 2020

He thanked the UN Secretary-General for summoning the session of Security Council to discuss the alarming situation in Indian occupied Kashmir.

Speaking on the occasion, the UN Secretary-General appreciated Pakistan's efforts for establishing peace in the region.