PM Shehbaz calls for China, Pakistan to 'really be together' for restoring peace in Middle East

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for Islamabad and Beijing to “really be together” in ongoing efforts to restore peace in the Middle East amid the US-Israel war on war. He made the remarks during bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People. PM Shehbaz landed in China on Saturday on a four-day official visit, reaching Beijing yesterday after making a stop in Hangzhou. Addressing the delegation-level talks with Li, PM Shehbaz mentioned the Middle East conflict, saying that the “world is passing through a very critical moment”. “I think we have to really be together, so that the world at large is at peace and business as usual starts again, because this crisis has hit not only the economy in the region […] but the global community,” he said. Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, who concluded his visit to Iran on Saturday, was also present on the occasion. “There is a crisis in the Gulf and Pakistan has played a very sincere role to mediate between the United States and Iran,” PM Shehbaz said, noting that CDF Munir had just returned from Tehran. “And he didn’t want to miss this great visit, and he assured me that he will be joining me in this meeting, and he has been travelling throughout the night,” Shehbaz added. The premier highlighted that the army chief “played a very important role back and forth with the Iranian leadership and the American leadership”, also mentioning Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s communications with his regional counterparts. “We hope and pray to Allah Almighty that peace will be restored forever, and lots of ground has already been covered. Things are moving in the right direction,” PM Shehbaz said. He thanked President Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership for their “great support to Pakistan to promote peace and achieve a ceasefire”, adding that Islamabad fully endorsed Xi’s four-point peace agenda. At the outset of his remarks, the prime mini