Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, and Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of the country, coordinated their efforts to attract the attention of Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, and his close circle. This move is part of Islamabad’s efforts to push both the U.S. and Iran to the negotiating table.
Pakistan, which had previously been isolated by Washington due to harboring Osama bin Laden, has now found a prominent place in multilateral efforts to mediate between the two countries. Steve Witkoff, a representative of Trump’s team, previously confirmed that Pakistani officials had passed the U.S. peace plan to Iran, and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, stated that the message was sent through a secret channel.
This action signifies the return of trust in Pakistan by the White House; a country that Trump, during his first presidency, had accused of “lying and deception.” Diplomatic experts believe that even if this mediation does not lead to a final agreement, Islamabad has diplomatically acted in its own favor.
Pakistan had previously proposed hosting potential peace talks, and Trump also reposted and highlighted this plan on Truth Social. Although the Islamic Republic rejected the U.S. peace proposal and responded with its own five-point plan, Pakistan hosted preliminary meetings in Islamabad to reduce tensions with mediating countries’ officials.
Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the U.S., believes this situation is a win-win for Islamabad, whether the negotiations lead to an agreement or not. Imran Ali, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Oman, warned that mediation also carries risks, and Pakistan may be forced to play a complex diplomatic game between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The rebuilding of Pakistan-U.S. relations began in the early days of Trump’s second term. After the Pentagon called for the identification and handover of the perpetrators of the Kabul airport bombing in August 2021, and Pakistan’s cooperation in handing over these individuals led to Trump praising Islamabad.
According to Iranian and Arab officials, Pakistan’s mediation role began in early September, with messages exchanged between Iran and the U.S. on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In early February, Asim Munir visited Muscat and met with American negotiators, though he did not have a direct meeting with Iranian representatives.Experts believe that Pakistan is not inclined to directly participate in the complex negotiations between the U.S. and Iran and prefers to play the role of a facilitator for communication channels.
Related Stories
