PM Shehbaz, COAS Munir Review Pakistan’s Mediation Efforts for Lasting Regional Peace

Pakistan PM Holds Phone Calls with Lebanese PM, Bahrain King, Qatar Emir

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday reviewed the “progress of Pakistan’s mediatory efforts to achieve sustainable peace in the region”.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said CDF Munir called on PM Shehbaz. The meeting takes place as delegations from the US and Iran are due in Islamabad to hold negotiations over the weekend.

“The dignitaries reviewed the progress of Pakistan’s mediatory efforts to achieve sustainable peace in the region. The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed upon the need for maintaining peace and ceasefire by all parties,” it said.

“The leadership appreciated the restraint demonstrated by all sides and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all-out support to both sides to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement,” the statement said.

The statement said the premier lauded the commitment of the parties involved in the process and wished them success in their pursuit of peace.

“He also renewed his invitation to the arriving delegations and assured them of the highest consideration and support by Pakistan,” the statement concluded.

Pakistan positioned itself as a facilitator in the peace process between Tehran and Washington after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, setting off a conflict that gave rise to a global fuel crisis.

The day the conflict started, PM Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar began dialling Iranian and Gulf leaders and other regional players, stressing the need for dialogue and de-escalation.

On March 24, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to host “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the US and Iran.

The next day, Washington sent a 15-point peace proposal to Tehran, which was conveyed through Pakistan. In response, Iran put forward its own set of five conditions for ending the war.

While Iranian media had initially reported Tehran’s rejection of the US proposal, Dar on March 26 confirmed that “indirect talks” were underway with Pakistan relaying messages.

Subsequently, foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt were in Islamabad on March 29 and participated in a quadrilateral moot focused on de-escalation efforts in the Middle East. Dar had also said after the quadrilateral moot that Iran and US had expressed confidence in Pakistan to facilitate talks and Islamabad would be honoured to host the dialogue “in the coming days”.

A day after the moot, Dar was in Beijing, where Pakistan and China issued a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East.

The two-week truce is based on a 10-point Iranian proposal accepted by Washington as a general framework for talks. But it remains fragile as Israel continues its attacks in Lebanon, which Israel and the US say are not part of the temporary ceasefire.

Iran has warned it will withdraw from the ceasefire if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue. “The Iran-US ceasefire terms are clear and explicit: the US must choose — ceasefire or continued war via Israel. It cannot have both,” Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said.

On Thursday, PM Shehbaz also held multiple phone calls, including with Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam and Bahrain’s king, Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.

The leaders commended Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, with Salam also seeking Islamabad’s support for bringing an immediate end to Israeli attacks on his country, according to the PMO.