PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced that Pakistan will host the much-awaited Iran-US deal signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 19 (Friday), terming the understanding reached between the two countries as a “historic milestone of peace”. Addressing the National Assembly session, hours after he and President Donald Trump announced that the deal between the United States and Iran had been reached, the PM congratulated the nation over the landmark development and said that the prestige and honour Allah Almighty has bestowed upon Pakistan today is something nations have sought for centuries.
The dangerous conflict in the Gulf sent shockwaves across the globe as it badly affected economies of almost all countries of the world and that is why the breakthrough achieved through the hard work of Pakistani leadership is being appreciated by all. No doubt, the process was sincerely facilitated by countries like Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China but there is no denying the fact that Pakistan played the lead role and surmounted enormous challenges because of sincerity and commitment to the cause of regional and global peace and security. The PM also referred to these difficulties in his speech saying there were several stages and many ups and downs during the negotiations when it seemed the matter would collapse at any moment. He particularly mentioned the contribution made by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, saying the army chief had devoted day and night to extinguishing the flames of war and establishing peace, pointing out he was personally a witness to all these developments and that “this great son” did not lose courage. The enormity of the challenge faced by mediators can be gauged by the fact that both the United States and Iran were poles apart on almost all the issues involved and in the backdrop of pressure of the domestic public opinion none of them was willing to concede anything that could be considered as submission to the other side.
However, the Field Marshal made best use of his personal rapport with President Donald Trump and the Iranian leadership, remained in constant contact with them and ultimately succeeded in hammering out differences and making the two parties agree to acceptable interpretation of the points involved. One of the striking aspects of the entire process is that the Pakistani leadership succeeded in its efforts aimed at containing the conflict in the backdrop of conspiracies hatched by the Zionist entity, which tried hard to drag Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries into the war. Such a situation, especially involvement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would have long lasting repercussions for Pakistan’s foreign policy. Another important aspect of the process was that Pakistani mediators intervened repeatedly and effectively whenever there were threats to the temporary ceasefire due to strategic moves and military actions of the two sides. It is because of all this that the world leaders are lavishly praising the role of Pakistan that served the cause of peace. Leaders and senior officials from the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand and Germany appreciated Pakistan and expressed support for the agreement that has paved the way for regional stability and ensured diplomatic engagement on Iran’s nuclear programme. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan thanked Pakistan for its ‘exceptional mediation efforts’ and acknowledged its role in bringing about a desirable diplomatic outcome. As was expected, Israel is opposing tooth and nail the agreement finalized by the United States and Iran but Tel Aviv will not be able to disrupt the process as digital signing has already been done and in-person signatures are to be affixed on Friday.
