- Prime Minister Shehbaz says two-week ceasefire between US and Iran.
- Pakistan’s leadership worked tirelessly to enable negotiations: Prime Minister.
- Expresses gratitude to US, Iran for accepting Pak’s invitation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan remains fully committed to efforts to resolve pending issues between the US and Iran, praising the political and military leadership for their role in hosting the historic talks in Islamabad.
Islamabad emerged as a key mediator in the US-Iran war after Prime Minister Shehbaz brokered a two-week ceasefire between the two sides on 8 April. Delegations from Washington and Tehran then arrived in Islamabad and held talks for over 20 hours at his invitation this past weekend. However, the negotiations could not result in an agreement.
Addressing the federal cabinet, the prime minister said Pakistan played an important role in bringing the US and Iran to the table after about 47 years, noting that both delegations visited Pakistan at Islamabad’s request.
He said the talks marked the first time the two sides had engaged in direct, face-to-face dialogue at such a level, with discussions continuing for 21 hours.
Prime Minister Shehbaz added that Pakistan’s leadership was working tirelessly to make the talks possible.
The prime minister also expressed gratitude to the US and Iran for accepting Pakistan’s invitation and said both delegations appreciated the country’s hospitality and recognized its constructive role.
He maintained that Pakistan’s efforts had helped maintain the two-week ceasefire while efforts continued to resolve outstanding issues.
He said Pakistan was able to step in as a mediator and contribute positively to regional stability at a time when the global economy was reeling from the conflict.
The Islamabad talks lasted about 21 hours and marked the first direct meeting between the US and Iran in over a decade, as well as the highest-level discussions since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, included President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The talks aimed to end six weeks of fighting that has killed thousands of people across the Gulf, throttled vital supplies of energy and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict.
The conflict in the Middle East began on February 28, when the United States and Israel began a joint bombing campaign against Iran.
The scope quickly expanded as Iran effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and launched attacks against Israel and US bases in the Middle East.
The war has hit global financial markets and caused thousands of civilian deaths, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.
