ISLAMABAD - Qatar on Tuesday urged Pakistan to play a role as the sole Muslim-majority nuclear power to defuse tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, officials said.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here, Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani briefed Pakistani leader on the current situation in the Gulf.

PM Sharif told the visiting dignitary that Pakistan was concerned over the tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and would play its role for a peaceful solution of the impasse.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister had arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day on a short trip seeking Pakistan’s support to end the regional tension. Al-Thani met the PM and Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz to discuss the latest situation.

The appointment of former army chief Raheel Sharif as the head of the Saudi-led military alliance was also discussed, a government official said. He added the Qatri FM was told that Raheel Sharif’s job did not mean targeting any Muslim country.

Recently, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif flew to Riyadh and told Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz that Pakistan was committed to the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and safety of the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.

Sharif’s visit was a bid to defuse diplomatic tension in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terror networks. Qatar denied the allegations and appealed for talks.

The prime minister, during his meeting with the Saudi King, had hoped that the current impasse in the Gulf will be resolved soon in the best interest of the Muslim nations.

Last month, Pakistan denied it had not deployed troops in Qatar.

Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said the reports in this regard “appear to be part of a malicious campaign aimed at creating misunderstanding between Pakistan and brotherly Muslim-[majority] countries in the Gulf.”

Earlier reports said that Pakistan had decided to send military contingent to Qatar following Turkey who sent troops to the state.

There were claims that Pakistan could send up to 20,000 soldiers to Qatar.

An official statement issued after Sharif’s meeting with Al-Thanim, said the PM appreciated the efforts of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahin to find a solution to current crisis in the Gulf region.

The prime minister appreciated the sagacity and wisdom of Emir of Kuwait, said the statement.

Nawaz Sharif stressed that Pakistan maintained close, friendly and cooperative relations with all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries and “is concerned at the recent crisis in Middle East.”

The premier said that the people and Government of Pakistan wished to see a diplomatic solution of the problem between the Muslim-majority countries.

“The foreign minister of Qatar expressed his gratitude to the prime minister for the warm reception and reiterated Qatar’s desire to further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries,” the statement added.

Al-Thani also briefed the prime minister on Qatar’s response to the demands of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt and on the current status of the mediation efforts Emir of Kuwait, it said.

Although the Qatari minister’s day-long visit was aimed at discussing the Qatar-Saudi tension, there were rumours that the Panama Papers case against the PM and his family could also be touched - keeping in view Sharif’s personal ties with the royal family of Qatar.

Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jasim bin Jaber Al-Thani was named by Sharif as a business partner but a joint investigation team – which submitted its report on the Panama Papers case to the Supreme Court this month – could not interrogate the Qatari royal due to his unavailability.

The JIT found “glaring disparities” between the Sharif family’s known sources of income and their actual wealth.

Immediately after the submission of the JIT report, the opposition parties called for PM’s resignation.

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the Panama Papers case.

Prime Minister Sharif has objected to the JIT report terming it as “biased”.

The 10-page document submitted by the prime minister claimed the JIT had violated its mandate.