Pakistan ready to facilitate talks for settlement of Mideast conflict: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, subject to concurrence by the US and Iran.

“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on his X account. He also tagged US President Donald Trump, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in this post.

Subsequently, President Trump shared PM Shehbaz’s statement on his Truth Social platform.

The development comes a day after international media reported that mediating nations have reportedly started working to convene high-level talks in Islamabad as early as this week in a bid to ease tensions in the Middle East, as reported by an Axios reporter Barak Ravid as well on Monday citing sources.

According to an Israeli official, Ravid wrote on his X account, the proposed summit would bring together a powerful US delegation, including Witkoff, Advisor to US President Jared Kushner, and possibly Vice President JD Vance, to meet with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and other senior officials from Tehran.

READ MORE: PM Shehbaz pledges ‘constructive role’ in regional peace during call with Pezeshkian

Pakistan is positioning itself as the lead mediator trying to broker an end to the US’s and Israel’s war against Iran, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Citing two people briefed on the call, the FT reported that Pakistani army chief Asim Munir spoke with President Trump on Sunday.

As per the global affairs correspondent for Axios, Turkiye, Egypt, and Pakistan have emerged as the primary intermediaries between the United States and Iran amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.

According to a US source, the three nations have spent days facilitating intense back-channel messaging aimed at de-escalating regional hostilities, Ravid stated.

Senior officials from Ankara, Cairo, and Islamabad have reportedly held separate, high-stakes talks with White House Envoy Steve Witkoff and Araghchi, the source said.

“The mediation is ongoing and making progress,” a US source confirmed. “The discussions are focused on a comprehensive resolution: ending the current conflict and addressing all outstanding strategic issues. We expect concrete answers shortly.”

In a significant sign of cooling tensions, Trump announced he has suspended plans for a military strike against Iran’s power infrastructure. The president cites “tangible progress” in negotiations regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy artery, and a broader framework to end the war.