Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Islamabad was “ready and honoured” to facilitate “meaningful and conclusive talks” between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.
The announcement came following media reports about backdoor efforts by Pakistan along with Egypt and Turkiye to broker peace in West Asia.
“Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond,” Sharif said in a post on X.
“Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he added.
Hours later, US President Donald Trump shared Sharif’s post on his Truth Social platform. Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) responding to media queries urged to avoid speculation and await official announcements about the venue for talks between the US and Iranian representatives.
“Pakistan, consistent with its longstanding policy, remains committed to the resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Persian Gulf through diplomatic means and engagements,” FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
“Diplomacy and negotiations often require that certain matters be advanced with discretion. The media is therefore encouraged to refrain from speculation and to await official announcements regarding decisions and outcomes,” he said.
Various international media outlets reported about Islamabad being the possible venue of talks as the war entered its fourth week.
According to the British daily Financial Times, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke to US President Donald Trump on Sunday seeking a mediation role between the US and Iran.
On Monday, Trump had announced on his social media platform that the US would hold off on threatened strikes against Iranian power plants for five days, saying Washington had held “very good and productive conversations with Tehran” over the previous couple of days. Trump refused to name the Iranian leader the US is in talks with, asserting that the interlocutor was a “top person” who is “most respected” in that country. CNN reported that the US sent Iran a list of 15 demands outlining its expectations through Pakistan.