DESPITE an apparent deadlock in negotiations, Pakistan has not lost hopes as the leadership of the country – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir – are making a renewed push for resumption of talks between Iran and the United States.
It is in this backdrop that global leaders and opinion-makers are not only appreciative of what Pakistan already did but also express the confidence in the ability of the country to save the peace process and make it productive in interest of the region and the world at large.
It is an open secret that the PM, DPM, CDF and their teams worked hard and seamlessly to arrange a temporary ceasefire and to bring the two sides on the negotiating table in Islamabad, which itself was a big achievement given the fact that the senior leadership of the United States and Iran had direct talks after 47 years. Their role transformed from facilitators to mediators and their positive contribution has ungrudgingly been acknowledged by negotiating teams of both countries. In a post on social media platform ‘Truth Social’, President Trump too expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s role in facilitating the dialogue, praising Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s military leadership. He added that the Islamabad meeting took place through the kind and very competent leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, describing them as “extraordinary men”. Lavish remarks of Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam deserve special mention who particularly referred to the historic role of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir pointing out “With the tireless efforts of all sectors in Pakistan, including the government, army, police and security forces to facilitate and manage the talks, talks were held in a dignified and befitting atmosphere for the guests in a calm, orderly and secure environment with equal logistic opportunities for both sides”. As for the outcome of the talks, it is widely believed that a breakthrough was not expected because of the complexity of the issues involved and extreme positions adopted by the two parties as well as pressure of the public opinion on them.
However, the very fact that the ceasefire is holding and both the United States and Iran have expressed their desire to return to the peace process is a positive development that augurs well for the ultimate fate of the conflict. At people’s level, Pakistan’s friends and foes alike recognize the role of the PM, DPM and CDF in saving humanity from an imminent disaster and their efforts aimed at facilitating a negotiated settlement of the crisis. It is important to note that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lost no time in assigning Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir the task for resumption of dialogue. Reports suggest Pakistan aims to seek an extension in the deadline for the temporary ceasefire and arrange another round of direct talks within the limited time available for the purpose. Incidentally, the statements of the American President and those of the Iranian leadership indicate that most of the issues were satisfactorily discussed with the exception of the nuclear programme of Iran and management of Strait of Hormuz. A middle ground can still be reached given the fact that Iran demonstrated remarkable flexibility during pre-war negotiations with the United States. Similarly, the Strait of Hormuz was fully open for global navigation before the US/Israeli invasion of Iran and an amicable solution can be found if the trust issue is taken care of through involvement of major powers. It is also crucial that Israel should immediately stop brutalities in Lebanon and the US discards provocative plans like blockade of Hormuz as these can lead to resumption of hostilities, vitiating the environment for further talks.
