Pakistan is working feverishly to end a war in one country on its border, even as it has declared “open war” on another.
The South Asian nation has emerged as an unlikely mediator in global efforts to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. But it is also engaged in its most severe fighting in decades with neighboring Afghanistan, a conflict that has been largely overshadowed by the war in the Middle East.
Pakistan has offered its capital, Islamabad, as a potential meeting site for U.S. and Iranian negotiators, with President Donald Trump saying “great progress” is being made toward talks and Tehran denying talks are happening at all. Trump, who is set to address the nation Wednesday night, also told NBC News on Tuesday that Iran does not have to make a deal for the conflict to end.
If talks do happen, however, Pakistan wants to be the one to host them. The country of more than 250 million people is seeking greater regional influence, and it also has a lot to lose if the war continues, with Iran’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz blocking almost all of Pakistan’s oil and gas imports.
Pakistan has already helped the U.S. send Iran a 15-point ceasefire proposal, though Tehran responded with suspicion. This week, it also hosted two days of talks in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, three other regional powers seeking de-escalation of the conflict.
Pakistan has “full support” from those countries as host of the talks, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said, as well as from China, which on Tuesday issued a five-point initiative for peace with Pakistan as Dar was visiting Beijing.
“Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days,” he said earlier this week, adding that both the U.S. and Iran “have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks.”
