As the world waits with bated breath for the outcome of extremely critical talks between the US and Iran to hammer out a peace deal, Pakistan has good reason to rejoice that it has not only played a leading role in brokering a two-week ceasefire, but is now hosting the historic talks.
This is a great diplomatic triumph and allows ordinary Pakistanis to feel proud of what their government has achieved with its creative diplomacy under such treacherous circumstances. The Iran war had pushed the world to the brink of catastrophic disaster when the ceasefire was literally announced at the eleventh hour by President Donald Trump.
The way he put it is a resounding testament to the role Pakistan has played in a historic moment. President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir of Pakistan, in which they requested that I postpone the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran …..I agree to suspend the bombing and attack on Iran for a period of two weeks”.
And now Pakistan is hosting the talks in Islamabad. What this means is that the most urgent conversations at this moment in history will be reported worldwide with dateline Islamabad. Pakistan is in that sense at the center of the world. It is true that the focus will remain mainly on the proceedings of a difficult meeting between the US and Iran, but a slight diversion should be possible to emphasize the glory that belongs to Pakistan.
For Pakistan, becoming a mediator in this conflict would be an impossible task given the antagonistic relations between America and Iran on one level and between regional countries on another. There are probably many interesting details about how Pakistan was able to handle this challenge to sort of find its place in the sun.
For many of us, Pakistan’s diplomatic performance in brokering a ceasefire and hosting the talks is a revelation. It gives a sense of joy and pride that we are not really used to. Usually Pakistan’s projection to the world is rarely positive. Our social development indicators are constantly depressing. We are not doing well in our economic and social sectors. In many other respects we are behind compared to other countries in the region.
In the midst of all these deficits, we have this gift of a diplomatic achievement tied to a global event of historical significance. It is also gratifying that Pakistan has achieved this high profile through hard work and a resolute sense of purpose. It is easy to see that it was a very, very difficult task. The Iran war had hints of a global conflict with unforeseen consequences.
There was this long piece in the New York Times on Wednesday that took up the “fight for a truce” titled: ’36 Hours of Chaos’. It noted that by mid-afternoon in Washington on Tuesday, “an encouraging message that a deal was taking shape was being investigated by the White House and posted on social media by Pakistan’s prime minister”.
There is another reference to Pakistan’s involvement in the negotiations for a ceasefire. “Shortly after 5 p.m., Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, called Trump to discuss the contours of the ceasefire agreement. Mr. Munir told the president that the Iranians had accepted Pakistan’s proposal.”
There is a long list of world leaders who have praised Pakistan’s courageous diplomacy. Although this truce is very fragile and there are fears about how the talks might develop, this first step towards peace was taken less than two hours before the deadline given by President Trump to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Otherwise “a whole civilization will die tonight”. That the leader of the most powerful country would make such a threat is something the world has struggled to understand.
In any case, the talks are now taking place in Islamabad against the backdrop of Israel’s heaviest bombardment of Lebanon, although Pakistan and Iran have believed that Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement. President Trump has argued that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is a separate issue. Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz is another source of strain.
By securing a two-week ceasefire, Pakistan has opened up the possibility of lasting peace in the Middle East. There are observers who believe that reaching a final agreement to resolve all disputes between America and Iran would not be easy. At the same time, the very idea of a resumption of the war is prohibitive. Still, it is said that a truce is a calm before a bigger storm.
With the ceasefire in place, there is also time to reflect on a number of issues. One, of course, is whether this truce will last. In other words, so what? Since the war was started, without any justification, by the US and Israel, a good question is whether they have achieved any of their goals.
In a separate context, President Trump is in the spotlight for his actions and statements. He wanted to return Iran to the Stone Age and then wipe out its civilization overnight. A question that seems valid is whether he personifies the beginning of the decline of the American empire. Does the Iran War Mark Declining American Power in the World?
Some hope that the Islamabad talks will be fruitful may lie in the fact that America has repeatedly declared its victory without being specific about the goals it has achieved. By and large, military experts are of the opinion that America has suffered a massive strategic setback. Iran, on the other hand, is seen as strategically stronger.
We will have to see how these perceptions are reflected in positions taken by America and Iran in Islamabad. Will peace prevail?
The author is a senior journalist. He can be found at: [email protected]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Pakinomist.tv’s editorial policy.
