Pakistan plays ‘peacemaker’ in US-Iran talks: ‘an unsung success story when it comes to strategic importance’

ISLAMABAD: As the clock ticked down to US President Donald Trump’s deadline to destroy Iran’s civilisation last week, hope emerged from an unlikely corner, with prime minister first seeking — and within hours securing — a two-week ceasefire between the warring sides.

Now, with a round of talks concluded in Islamabad and frantic negotiations underway to secure a second go, Pakistan is basking in its new role as a regional peacemaker, analysts say.

“Pakistan very much wants to ride the momentum that it has been enjoying over the last few weeks as a critical mediator,” Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia fellow at the Atlantic Council, told AFP.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a South Asian country .

The mediator of peace talks had itself just fought battles with its neighbours last year — Pakistan fought a brief but intense war with India in May, and two rounds of conflict with neighbouring Afghanistan, where Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities of harbouring armed groups.

Raja Qaiser Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University, said Pakistan’s robust military responses in both conflicts helped burnish its regional credentials.

“In international politics, the currency is power,” he said. “When you have demonstrated it operationally, and now you are just building it up diplomatically.”

Kugelman hailed Pakistan as “an unsung success story when it comes to strategic autonomy.”

“Pakistan is looking to change global perceptions about its capacities as a global player,” he said.

• Unique geography -

When the US-Israel war on Iran broke out, quickly engulfing the Middle East, Islamabad was careful not to take sides between Washington and Tehran.

Since US President Donald Trump took office, Pakistan has seen ties warm significantly, after Islamabad lauded him for having helped mediate the end of the conflict with India. Delhi denies Washington played a significant role.

A visit to Washington by PM Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir followed, with Trump now often referring to the latter as his “favourite field marshal”.

Pakistan shares a 900-km border with Iran, with whom it has maintained warm — if sometimes testy — relations, with the countries sharing significant cultural and trade ties.

Early on Sunday, when US Vice President JD Vance took the podium in Islamabad to declare that no agreement had been reached after marathon 21-hour talks, he was also quick to praise Pakistan.

He thanked Sharif and Munir by name, saying they “did an amazing job and really tried to help us and the Iranians bridge the gap and get to a deal.”

Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had similar words of thanks.

Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Tehran, said Pakistan had proven its importance with the talks, even if the first round did not lead to a deal.

“I think Pakistan is a power to be reckoned, and very much Pakistan is a player. Its geography is so unique that it cannot be ignored,” he said.