By NNN-PTI,
Islamabad : Amid rising tensions in Indo-Pak ties after the Mumbai attacks, a number of world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Markel and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, held consultations with the Pakistani leadership to prevent the escalation of the crisis.
Miliband, who telephoned Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday, expressed the hope that Pakistan and India “will continue their bilateral cooperation” for stability and economic development in South Asia.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had called the Indian Prime Minister to express shock at the attacks and had assured the Indian leadership of Pakistan’s support at this critical time, Qureshi was quoted as telling Miliband by an official statement.
Miliband also called Zardari on Sunday evening.
Prince Karim Agha Khan, the spiritual head of the Ismaili community, too arrived in Islamabad in the wake of the tensions between India and Pakistan. He called on Zardari and discussed matters of national interest, officials said.
Zardari on Sunday made telephonic calls to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss the regional situation. Zardari and Sarkozy agreed to meet early next year. The French President also expressed his support for democracy in Pakistan.
German Chancellor Markel telephoned Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday night to discuss the regional situation.
Gilani also received calls from his Czech counterpart Mirk Keplonic and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan.