Pakistan’s diplomatic moment

2026-03-29 - 04:10

APPARENTLY, the stage is being prepared for US-Iran talks in Islamabad, despite deceptive statements and official denials. Western and Gulf diplomatic channels are confirming these reports; however, much depends on the backdoor communications currently underway through Pakistan. This is a rare moment for Pakistan’s diplomacy, as the country has become an interlocutor in a major global conflict after decades. There is little reason to doubt Pakistan’s diplomatic capacity to facilitate such talks, given its role in the breakthrough between China and the US in 1971. However, Pakistan’s real test is domestic: repairing the trust deficit with its own people. Certainly, such secret diplomacy usually enters the public sphere only when matters reach their conclusion, and the executive has the lawful authority to undertake such initiatives. However, if parliament were an effective forum for creating a conducive environment for such occasions, it would boost public confidence and foster a sense of pride. A joint parliamentary session should be convened to discuss the Iran conflict and Pakistan’s geopolitical and strategic priorities in the Gulf, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised earlier this month during an in-camera session of parliamentary parties. Although Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar delivered statements in separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate during Ramazan, a joint session dedicated to this issue has no substitute. Nonetheless, these are challenging times for democracies, including in several Western nations. US President Donald Trump has been criticised for launching military action against Iran without seeking Congressional authorisation, while the absence of the UN Security Council’s approval has also raised legal and political concerns. Public support often becomes secondary once power elites have chosen their course; however, in fragile democracies, such moments are rare opportunities to foster national pride, especially when divergent political views create a messy scene on public forums and social media. Setting aside the internal scenario for a moment, Pakistan has effectively handled the situation in the Iran-US-Israel conflict by engaging all actors involved while maintaining strategic clarity and balancing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan’s weak economic profile has remained a hindrance, limiting its edge in West Asia’s geopolitical and security affairs. However, its profile as a specialised security provider remains a key strength, alongside its strategic geographical location, which provides a distinct advantage. Leveraging this profile, Pakistan has managed to carve out a role in an otherwise geopolitically complex environment. Pakistan’s profile as a specialised security provider remains a key strength. Many Gulf nations: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Oman, the UAE, and especially Qatar have used mediation diplomacy to position themselves as facilitators of peace processes. This has helped them cultivate a softer international image, attract global investment, and, to some extent, obscure their authoritarian credentials. If Pakistan wants to join the club, it has yet to craft a coherent strategy to use mediation diplomacy to strengthen its economic and geopolitical gains. However, if Islamabad successfully facilitates talks between the US and Iran, it could open a new avenue for the country. Again, it would depend on the priorities of state institutions, whether they choose to keep the country positioned as a hard power or to fundamentally alter its posture. Although Pakistan has a record of diplomatic interventions and facilitating backdoor channels in the past, the news that Islamabad was chosen as one of the venues for possible talks came as a surprise to many. This is particularly so because Pakistan had been focused on ensuring its support and commitment to its defence pact with Saudi Arabia. It has created the impression that the country is set to become an active player in the West Asian war theatre. These accounts emerged following the interaction of the defence forces’ chief with Shia scholars in Ramazan. The emergence of its name alongside Turkiye and Egypt as a mediator gives a completely new dimension to Pakistan’s position in the conflict. As mentioned earlier, Pakistan and the US have a history of secret diplomacy. Five decades ago, Pakistan’s efforts played an important role in establishing diplomatic relations between the US and China, when, in 1971, US secretary of state Henry Kissinger made a secret but historic visit to China. One can’t ignore the military leadership’s recent efforts to restore confidence with counterparts in the US — confidence that had been shaken during the US campaign in and withdrawal from Afghanistan. While this may have played a role, the real question was Iran’s trust in Pakistan to facilitate such a channel. This is directly linked to the Israeli military threat and the intelligence agency Mossad, which has operational reach in the Gulf and beyond to target its opponents. Iran itself has been a major victim of Israeli aggression, which may have led it to prefer Islamabad over other capitals in West Asia, as Pakistan is perceived to be relatively insulated from Israeli intelligence networks. Now, developments are becoming clearer. Following a request to Washington to press Israel to remove the names of two Iranian leaders, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, from its hit list, the likelihood of talks being held in Islamabad has increased. If this materialises, it will mark a significant diplomatic moment for Pakistan and could foster unity among the country’s fragmented religious and ethnic communities. However, Pakistan’s own challenges in Afghanistan, where mediation efforts by China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have failed to deliver, will continue to test its diplomatic capabilities. Additionally, India and Pakistan need to normalise their relations, which have remained tense after last year’s stand-off. If Pakistan succeeds in developing an engagement framework with either or both, particularly Afghanistan, it will significantly enhance the country’s international image while helping to reduce internal security risks and regional strategic tensions. This would be essential for economic growth, with new prospects likely to emerge in