THE proposed “Islamabad Peace Talk 2.0” may be convened in the near future, potentially strengthening Pakistan’s diplomatic capital both regionally and globally while promoting greater peace, stability and regional integration; Islamabad has been consulting and coordinating with Beijing, intensifying efforts to support dialogue and discourage any actions that could undermine ceasefires or escalate confrontation, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi having spoken with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to express support for regional peace and stability, while Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also welcomed initiatives contributing to ceasefire efforts and acknowledged Pakistan’s mediating role, reflecting close bilateral cooperation; additionally, remarks attributed to US President Donald Trump regarding engagement with Pakistan have further fueled speculation about a possible framework for broader US–Iran discussions, although outcomes remain uncertain at this stage.

Furthermore, ongoing visits of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal General Asim Munir to numerous regional countries and global stakeholders are further enhancing the chances of grand regional reconciliation in the Middle East and Gulf alike. Both leaders are striving hard to showcase Pakistan’s diplomatic potential and strategic role to remove all misperceptions among the regional countries by chalking out a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for truce and peace gearing the region towards integration, prosperity and stability. It appears that Prime Minister Sharif’s visits to Riyadh, Doha and Ankara is a sign of achieving grand regional support, better political understanding and diplomatic alignment to end ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran in the region. Speculations are very high in diplomatic circles that the presidents of Türkiye, Egypt and some other regional countries including Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian would be part of prospective peace talks in Islamabad.

Obviously, the visit of the Field Marshal Munir to Tehran has been rightly dubbed as a strategic master stroke breaking the myth of Israeli so-called aerial superiority openly defying regional countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity i.e. Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. It is indeed an act of consolidation with Iran and its people carrying the message of peaceful conflict resolution, shutting the message of Tehran to Washington DC for a prospective grand dialogue to be held in Islamabad very soon. The delegation, comprising senior officials from security and diplomatic institutions, carried key messages linked to the next phase of engagement between the two sides. In a border context, Pakistan’s defence forces deployment and formation of an air force contingent in Saudi Arabia have drastically changed the regional geopolitical and geostrategic landscape in terms of safety, security and geo-economics in the days to come.

It is a good omen that the US President Donald Trump said that the United States and Iran were “very close” to a peace deal and that he would consider going to Pakistan to sign an agreement. Most recently, while speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump added that Tehran had agreed to hand over its store of enriched uranium, as the two countries mull further talks in Islamabad. Moreover, “We had to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. They’ve totally agreed to that. They’ve agreed to almost everything. The US President praised Pakistan’s “really great” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and powerful army chief Asim Munir for their role in brokering the talks with Iran.

Previously, the Vice President JD Vance led a US delegation to Islamabad last weekend for talks with Iranian officials but came away empty handed. The White House says it is in discussions about a second round of talks that would likely be in Pakistan again. Interestingly after the first round of Islamabad peace talk Iran accused the United States of derailing talks in Islamabad after the two sides had come close to reaching an agreement. According to Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi “We engaged with the US in good faith to end the war”. He said the parties had been “just inches away” from an “Islamabad MoU” before encountering “maximalism, shifting goalposts and a blockade” from the US side.

The remarks came shortly after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it would begin enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports. The development has followed the latest round of Iranian-US talks in Islamabad. The negotiations last week mediated by Pakistan, ended following multiple rounds of discussions and exchanges of proposals but failed to produce a breakthrough. In summary, the US and Iranian delegations left Islamabad with both signalling that further diplomatic efforts would be needed.

The talks were part of broader efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on February 28, under a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier. Unfortunately, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt statement about extension of the current US ceasefire with Iran is “not true at this moment” gave confusing signals which should be avoided. The 10 days ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is a good sign and has strategic value for the success of Islamabad Peace Talk 2.0. Remarkably, Pakistan’s diplomatic and military diplomacy channels seem to be on the right path bringing peace and stability in the region which must be further jointly pursued even for the amicable resolution of Kashmir in the days to come.

To conclude, Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts would be a giant step towards world order based on dialogue, diplomacy and development inching towards global shared prosperity, justice, equality and peaceful conflict resolution. Further extension of the ceasefire and removal of the naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz would be effective capacity building measures encouraging all conflicting parties to engage and resolve all issues. US upcoming mid elections and Trump’s prospective visit to Beijing would be wildcards for the success of Islamabad Peace Talk 2.0.

—The writer is President, the Centre for Knowledge and Public Policy, Regional Expert: China, CPEC, BRI & World Affairs.

© Pakistan Observer