Pakistan calls for Saudi-Iran line of communication

PM, army chief hold talks with King Salman to ease tensions.

Riyadh: A top-level delegation from Pakistan visiting Saudi Arabia on Monday called for the opening of a communication line between the kingdom and Iran, Pakistani officials said.
The visit comes as Pakistan is trying to mediate in the ongoing dispute between Riyadh and Tehran.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif, held talks with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh where they discussed "bilateral cooperation and the latest regional developments," according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The Pakistani prime minister, general and the foreign affairs minister attended a luncheon hosted by the Saudi king, which was also attended by the Saudi deputy crown prince who is also defence minister, as well as the ministers of finance and foreign affairs.
The Pakistani officials are heading next to Tehran on Tuesday to meet Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
Army chief Raheel Sharif stressed the need for opening up communication channels between the two countries, according to a government and a security official who attended the meeting. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the meeting with the media.
"Pakistan is deeply concerned at the recent escalation of tensions between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran," Islamabad's foreign ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said ahead of Sharif's trip.
He said the prime minister had called for a peaceful settlement of differences in the interests of Muslim unity.
"The purpose of the visit is to mediate and to end the standoff between the two countries," a Pakistani government official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
Sharif arrived two days after a historic international deal lifted sanctions on Iran in return for a scaling back of its nuclear capabilities.
Riyadh fears the agreement will only further embolden Iran, which it accuses of regional interference.
The two countries have been rivals for years but the current tensions worsened after Saudi Arabia executed a Saudi Shia cleric on January 2. He was among 47 people put to death in a single day on terrorism charges. Most of those executed were Sunnis. Angry crowds in Iran stormed the Saudi embassy, and Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in protest.

• Pakistan