APPARENTLY, the stage is being prepared for US-Iran talks in Islamabad, despite deceptive statements and official denials. Western and Gulf diplomatic channels are confirming these reports; however, much depends on the backdoor communications currently underway through Pakistan. This is a rare moment for Pakistan’s diplomacy, as the country has become an interlocutor in a major global conflict after decades. There is little reason to doubt Pakistan’s diplomatic capacity to facilitate such talks, given its role in the breakthrough between China and the US in 1971. However, Pakistan’s real test is domestic: repairing the trust deficit with its own people.

Certainly, such secret diplomacy usually enters the public sphere only when matters reach their conclusion, and the executive has the lawful authority to undertake such initiatives. However, if parliament were an effective forum for creating a conducive environment for such occasions, it would boost public confidence and foster a sense of pride. A joint parliamentary session should be convened to discuss the Iran conflict and Pakistan’s geopolitical and strategic priorities in the Gulf, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised earlier this month during an in-camera session of parliamentary parties. Although Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar delivered statements in separate sessions of the National Assembly and the Senate during Ramazan, a joint session dedicated to this issue has no substitute.

Nonetheless, these are challenging times for democracies, including in several Western nations. US President Donald Trump has been criticised for launching military........

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