'Pakistan will not become part of US-Iran conflict': Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi

Pakistanwill nottakesidesin the escalatingconfrontationbetween neighboringIranand the United States, itsforeignministersaid on Monday, following the killing ofIranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in aUSdrone strike.

The killing putsPakistan, which is majority Sunni Muslim but has a largely Shiite minority and is anxious to avoid any regional upheaval, in a sensitive position. An ally of Saudi Arabia, Tehran's arch regional foe,Pakistanhas a complex relationship withIran, with which it shares a long border.

Thousands of Shiite protesters marched in severalPakistani cities on Sunday to show solidarity withIran. Some clashed with police in the southern city of Karachi when they attempted to march on theUSconsulate.

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"We're clear thatPakistan's soil will not be used against any other state, and nor willPakistanbecome a part of this regional conflict,"ForeignMinisterShah Mehmood Qureshi told the upper house of parliament in a policy statement.

"Pakistanhastaken a clear stance thatPakistandoesn't endorse any unilateral action," he said, in the government's first official response to the killing of Soleimani, the architect of efforts to extendIran's influence across the region.

The killing has spurred fears of a major regional conflagration. On Monday hundreds of thousands ofIranians thronged Tehran's streets for Soleimani's funeral and his daughter said his death would bring a "dark day" for the United States.

"The Middle East was and is volatile and this region can’t afford another war. We are part of this region and when a fire erupts there,Pakistancan't escape," said Qureshi.

Pakistanis grappling with a severe economic crisis and facing heightened tensions with neighboring India. Its long land frontier withIranis rife with cross-border militant activity.

Islamabad has also long had a tense relationship with the United States over the war in neighboring Afghanistan, whereUSofficials have frequently accused it of supporting the Taliban, a chargePakistandenies.

But it badly needsUSsupport, both in handling its severe balance of payments problems and in dealing with its nuclear-armed neighbor India after the two came close to war last year.

Qureshi said he had discussed the regional situation with theforeignministers ofIran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and others.

Pakistanreceives aid and buysmuch of its oil from Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, which is locked in a power struggle with ShiiteIranacross a region where they back opposingsidesin conflicts ranging from Syria to Yemen.

Qureshi said he feared Soleimani's death could trigger anupsurge in sectarian tensions, including in Afghanistan.

"We believe this could have a negative impact on Afghanistan, and that its peace process, wherePakistanhas played an important role, could be affected and exploited by the spoilers," Qureshi said.