Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to continue supporting diplomatic efforts for sustaining dialogue and promoting peace.
His remarks came during telephonic conversations with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye after the conclusion of US-Iran talks in Islamabad on early Sunday morning.
In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) said that FM Dar had spoken with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal Bin Farhaan, today and shared developments regarding the Islamabad Talks.
During the phone call, FM Dar “stressed the importance of all parties adhering to their ceasefire commitments,” the FO stated.
Underscoring Pakistan’s role in facilitating the dialogue, FM Dar reaffirmed the “resolve to continue supporting all diplomatic efforts and sustain dialogue to promote peace and stability in the region and beyond,” the FO said.
In his conversation with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, FM Dar briefed him on the Islamabad Talks and Pakistan’s continued efforts in facilitating engagement between the parties, the FO said.
“He emphasised that it is imperative for all the parties to uphold their commitment to the ceasefire,” it stated.
FM Dar also reiterated the need for continued dialogue and diplomacy to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond, the FO said.
Dar also spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, sharing developments regarding the Islamabad Talks and stressing the importance of all parties adhering to their ceasefire commitments, the FO said.
According to the FO, FM Fidan commended Pakistan’s role in facilitating the dialogue between Iran and the US.
“Both reaffirmed their support for all diplomatic efforts aimed at sustaining dialogue and promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
Turkish FM Fidan also extended the invitation to FM Dar for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, scheduled to be held later this month, the FO said.
The exchanges took place on the same day when talks between Washington and Tehran in Islamabad ended without any agreement. The talks, facilitated by Pakistan, were aimed at restoring peace more than a month after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, setting off a conflict that gave rise to a global fuel crisis.
Pakistan positioned itself as a facilitator in the peace process.
The day the conflict started, PM Shehbaz and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar began dialling Iranian and Gulf leaders and other regional players, stressing the need for dialogue and de-escalation.
On March 24, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan stood “ready and honoured” to host “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the US and Iran.
The next day, Washington sent a 15-point peace proposal to Tehran, which was conveyed through Pakistan. In response, Iran put forward its own set of five conditions for ending the war.
While Iranian media had initially reported Tehran’s rejection of the US proposal, Dar on March 26 confirmed that “indirect talks” were underwakay with istan relaying messages.
Subsequently, foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt were in Islamabad on March 29 and participated in a quadrilateral moot focused on de-escalation efforts in the Middle East. Dar had also said after the quadrilateral moot that Iran and US had expressed confidence in Pakistan to facilitate talks and Islamabad would be honoured to host the dialogue “in the coming days”.
A day after the moot, Dar was in Beijing, where Pakistan and China issued a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East.
The threats of the war prolonging and intensifying escalated on April 5, when Trump, after making an expletive-laden post, issued an unusually precise deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire deal with Washington and allow traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a key maritime corridor through which 20pc of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the Middle East war began.
“Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time,” he wrote, coupled with the warning of bombing Iran’s power plants and bridges on that day, increasing pressure to prevent a worsening situation.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that Tehran had conveyed its response to a US proposal for ending the war to Pakistan, again rejecting a ceasefire and emphasising the necessity of a permanent end to the war.
The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions, and reconstruction, the agency added.
On the day of his deadline, Trump doubled down on his threats against Iran, alarming the world.
“A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back,” he wrote, prompting backlash from even within his country.
With hours left for the deadline to end, PM Shehbaz publicly requested Trump to “extend the deadline for two weeks”, noting that diplomatic efforts for a peaceful settlement of the ongoing war were “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully”.
He also requested Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks.
Shortly thereafter, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to say that he had spoken with PM Shehbaz and CDF Munir.
“Subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks,” Trump announced.
Subsequently, Iran’s FM Araghchi shared a statement on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council declaring that if attacks against the country were halted, it would cease its defensive operations.
Eventually, talks between the two sides were held in Islamabad, but they failed to reach an agreement.
