Pakistan: A Peace Broker

Muhammad Abbas

Islamabad: When the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, a sweeping air campaign that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the world braced for a wider and catastrophic conflict.

Both nations stood on the brink of full-fledged nuclear war. The escalation quickly led to open conflict. The US and Israel repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure, causing more than 2,000 casualties.

The latest strike on a bridge vital for civilian transport highlighted the blatant violations of international law. The Security Council’s complete failure was on full display as the US and Israeli actions went entirely unchecked.

On the other side, Iran struck back by targeting various Gulf countries like the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain which it accused of harbouring US military presence in the region.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz worsened the economic crisis across the Middle East by halting oil transport. President Trump’s remarks about annihilating the entire civilization of Iran only heightened fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

The situation deteriorated further when Iranian forces hit gasoline depots in the Gulf states. The world watched helplessly, seemingly incapable of restoring order or peace.

Everyone was impatiently waiting for any country to step forward and reduce hostilities between the US and Iran. Guess what? The name that emerged was Pakistan. Pakistan, a country that had recently faced India and destroyed six multi-purpose Rafale fighter jets, struck militant targets inside Afghanistan, and maintained cordial relations with all major powers (the US, Russia, and China).

It had recently signed a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, enjoys brotherly ties with all Gulf states, and shares mutual relations with Iran. Yet, on paper, it is also a nation plagued by the highest illiteracy rates, widespread poverty, unemployment, and a stagnant economy.

Burdened by heavy taxes and foreign loans, it suffers from a massive current account deficit, the lowest per capita income, and the lowest exports.

So, the natural question arises: How can such a country possibly win the confidence of both the US and Iran?

The answer lies in Pakistan’s unmatched geostrategic importance in the region. Pakistan has proven its military might in recent confrontations with India and Afghanistan. It is a nuclear-armed state with a formidable arsenal.

The current US administration, particularly under President Trump, places high confidence in Pakistan’s leadership especially Field Marshal while Iran views Pakistan as a Muslim brotherly nation. Pakistan also enjoys strong public support at home, deep bilateral ties with China, and close relations with the Gulf states.

All these factors position it as the ideal mediator between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan has earned the trust of all parties because the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was devastating economies worldwide.

The historic talks at the Islamabad Serena Hotel on April 11 and 12, 2026 were the first direct face-to-face engagement between senior American and Iranian officials since 1979. The US delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance, alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Iran was represented by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who had also served as Tehran’s chief negotiator throughout the conflict. Field Marshal Munir personally welcomed both delegations as they arrived on Pakistani soil, underscoring the symbolic weight Islamabad placed on the occasion.

The talks lasted 21 hours across three rounds. Progress was made on most of the ten-point ceasefire framework under discussion, but two issues proved insurmountable: the status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump, addressing reporters afterward, said “most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, nuclear, was not.” He described Iran as “unyielding.” Iran’s Foreign Minister countered that agreement had been “just inches away,” while criticizing what he termed “maximalist demands” from the American negotiators. No memorandum of understanding was signed. The talks ended without a deal, but the process had begun.

Even as the Islamabad talks ended without agreement, Pakistan refused to let diplomacy collapse. In the days and weeks that followed, Islamabad continued serving as the channel for indirect exchanges between Washington and Tehran.

On April 28, Iran submitted a 14-point counterproposal to the US through Pakistani intermediaries, calling for a permanent end to hostilities within 30 days, a US withdrawal from areas near its borders, the lifting of the naval blockade, the release of frozen assets, war reparations, and a new mechanism governing the Strait of Hormuz, with nuclear issues deliberately excluded. Washington responded in early May with its own plan, once again transmitted through Pakistan.

During this period, both Munir and Sharif undertook separate high-stakes diplomatic journeys. Munir traveled to Tehran for a three-day visit, meeting Iran’s leadership and peace negotiators directly.

Sharif flew to Turkey for consultations aimed at coordinating the broader diplomatic push. In mid-May, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran for a two-day visit, meeting Iranian key officials.

Trump, at one point, publicly stated on Truth Social that he had agreed to hold off on renewed attacks “upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif”, an extraordinary public attribution of influence to a Pakistani leader by an American president.

By late May, Munir returned to Tehran yet again for further consultations, with the White House stating publicly: “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been helpful mediators, and the United States is grateful for Pakistan’s efforts to bring an end to the conflict.”

Pakistan’s emergence as the central mediator in one of the most dangerous conflicts of 2026 represents a remarkable diplomatic transformation for a country that, barely a year earlier, had been described as an international outcast and accused by Trump himself of harboring terrorists. Whether it ultimately succeeds in brokering a lasting peace between the United States and Iran remains uncertain.

Islamabad did not stumble into this role. It cultivated it, through years of rebuilding ties, through deliberate investment in the Trump relationship, and through a willingness to take risks that other, more comfortable players were unwilling to assume. Whether peace comes or not, Pakistan’s pursuit of it has already rewritten its place in the world.

The writer is a student at the International Islamic University Islamabad, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. He can be reached at: mabbas9012@gmail.com

The blog is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.

Post Views: 26

#CDFPeacemaker #ceasefireagreement #ceasefires #ceasfire #Epic Fury #epicfury #FieldMarshalPeacemaker #Ghalibaf