Pakistan has no immediate plans to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, a spokesman for the foreign ministry said today.
The country "has no such plans," the spokesman, Nafees Zakaria, said, following today's surprise severing of ties with Qatar by Islamabad's key ally, Saudi Arabia, and three other Middle East nations.
"At the moment there is nothing on Qatar issue, (we) will issue a statement if some development takes place," Zakaria said.
Pakistan, which has a significant Shi'ite Muslim population, has in recent years been caught between the feud between its Sunni ally, Saudi Arabia, and Shi'ite-majority neighbor Iran.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar today, accusing it of supporting terrorism, in an unprecedented breach between the most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The coordinated move dramatically escalates a dispute over Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's oldest Islamist movement, and adds accusations that Doha even backs the agenda of regional arch-rival Iran.
The three Gulf states announced the closure of transport ties with Qatar and gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries. Qatar was also expelled from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
These were more severe measures than during a previous eight-month rift in 2014, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their ambassadors from Doha. At that time, travel links were maintained and Qataris were not expelled.
A split between Doha and its closest allies can have repercussions around the Middle East where Gulf states have used their financial and political power to influence events in Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Qatar is also due to host the World Cup in 2022
