PAKISTAN is not only in world focus these days but most frequently searched country since last two weeks, ever since announcement of being venue for peace talks between Iran and USA to find a solution to end the war and reach an amicable settlement. Never perhaps Pakistan attained so much importance and elevated to an unprecedented historic level except the Islamic Summit Conference in 1974 hosted by Pakistan for which credit goes to Z A Bhutto. It was truly a memorable event and brought Pakistan into forefront for taking crucial decisions for the Muslim Ummah. This time, Pakistan earned historic importance for being the host of Iran-USA peace talks to end the war which has threaten the entire region and created major economic turmoil due to disruptions in oil and gas supplies.
Last week, both delegations held 21 hours of talks, but eventually left Pakistan without a deal to end the war. US Vice President JD Vance suggested that the primary sticking point was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program, while the leader of the Iranian negotiators, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the U.S failed to get the trust of the Iranian delegation. With a new round of talks reportedly due to begin in few days, the outlook seems to be grim and uncertain.
President Donald Trump says a US delegation is heading for talks with Iran in Pakistan, and the American team is getting ready but there is as yet no official confirmation from Iran that negotiations will take place. The Iranian state-affiliated Fars News Agency said a final decision on whether Iran would take part in the second round of negotiations “could not yet be confirmed or ruled out.” IRIB, the Iranian state-run broadcaster, also reported that Iran’s participation in the talks had not yet been confirmed by Iranian officials. Fars quoted “sources inside Iran” as saying the overall outlook for talks wasn’t “particularly positive.” Another source said “that as long as the US maritime blockade continues, Iran won’t even consider a second meeting. However later Iranian sources told CNN that an Iranian team would reach Pakistan on Tuesday for 2nd round of talks.
Direct talks between Iran and the US are back on, something that could give President Donald Trump the victory he wants, and the economic stability the world needs. And as the buzz in the capital builds, one question above all is on people’s lips here — is Trump coming too? Iran’s top negotiator, parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is also likely to attend but earlier warned “the gaps remain significant.” Tensions escalated spectacularly on Saturday when, according to the American sources, Iranian gun boats suddenly started shooting a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz because they said Trump had failed to match their unblocking of the vital shipping lane. Yet a day later, talks are on — because both sides still want a deal. Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the next round of talks in Pakistan along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House has told CNN. If Trump were to ultimately decide to travel to Pakistan should a final deal materialize, it’s likely that Vance would need to return to the US first.
Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that US forces had fired on an Iranian merchant vessel, but said naval units from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps had forced the Americans to retreat. The attack occurred in the Gulf of Oman, south of the Strait of Hormuz, the economically vital waterway that has become a flashpoint in negotiations. However this minor incident did not escalate the already tense situation. Iran imposed a blockade on the strait, through which roughly 20 per cent of the world’s oil normally travels and the US countered with blocking traffic to Iranian ports. On Saturday, Iran attacked two Indian vessels attempting a transit, which Mr. Trump described earlier Sunday as a “total violation of our cease-fire.” The fate of the strait is on top of mind to American negotiators who Mr. Trump said would travel to Islamabad, this week for talks. The stakes for the negotiations, should they happen, are high: failure would risk reigniting the fighting and global economic upheaval.
A White House official said Mr Vance was expected to lead a US delegation, accompanied by the top Trump aides Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The negotiations would be the second meeting of high-level officials since the cease-fire went into effect on April 8. The cease-fire is expected to expire on April 22 and the rhetoric is intensifying as the deadline approaches. Mr. Trump on Sunday renewed threats against Iran’s civilian infrastructure if the strait is not reopened and an extension of the cease-fire is not reached. “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal,” Mr Trump wrote on social media. “I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.” The last round of negotiations, led last weekend by Mr Vance in Islamabad, ended without a breakthrough. The meeting had been the highest-level encounter between Iranian and American leaders in decades.
Pakistan appeared to be readying for a fresh round of talks between the US and Iran, an indication that the talks were likely to go forward even as the two sides sent conflicting public messages. Islamabad, the capital, went on a security lockdown on Sunday night and officials said they would deploy 10,000 extra security forces in the city. Last weekend, delegations from the US and Iran met in Islamabad for a marathon session but ended without a final agreement to end war. Let us hope wisdom, prudence and spirit of “Live and let live” prevails and peace returns to the region.
—The writer is Former Civil Servant and Consultant (ILO) & International Organisation for Migration and author of seven books.
