PAKISTAN’S diplomatic graph has risen once again, acting as a conduit between the United States and Iran, nudging both protagonists toward the negotiation table in hopes of ending war.

History reminds us that this is not the first time Pakistan has played such a role. From the earliest years of independence, its foreign policy has been marked by bold acts of solidarity and mediation—undertaken at great risk, yet always with moral clarity.

In the 1950s, as North Africa struggled under French colonialism, Pakistan emerged as a champion of liberation. When Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian leaders were barred from international travel, Pakistan issued them diplomatic passports, enabling them to plead their case before the United Nations and the wider world. In 1952, Morocco’s Sultan Muhammad-V dispatched Ahmad Balafrej to speak at the UN Security Council. His voice was silenced because Morocco remained a French colony. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Sir Zafarullah Khan, intervened decisively. At midnight, Pakistan’s mission in Washington DC issued Balafrej a Pakistani diplomatic passport, enabling him to passionately present Morocco’s case for freedom.

Among others who benefited in subsequent years was Ahmed Ben Bella, who later became Algeria’s first president. Pakistan’s recognition of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic in 1958—four years before Algeria gained independence—and the opening of its diplomatic mission in Karachi marked a bold act of defiance against colonial powers. These gestures were not symbolic alone; they gave revolutionaries legal standing and international protection. The eloquence of Patras Bokhari, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, amplified these efforts. His advocacy earned him enduring respect, and in Tunis, a road named Rue Bukhari commemorates his role in supporting North African freedom. Barely a decade old, Pakistan chose to expend its limited diplomatic capital in defence of oppressed peoples. It was a small state acting with moral clarity, demonstrating that diplomacy could be an instrument of liberation rather than mere protocol. Two decades later, Pakistan again found itself at the centre of history. In 1971, as its eastern wing teetered on the brink of secession and war loomed with India, Islamabad facilitated one of the most consequential diplomatic missions of the Cold War. President Yahya Khan arranged Henry Kissinger’s secret flight from Islamabad to Beijing, where Kissinger met Premier Zhou Enlai. This clandestine journey broke a quarter-century impasse in Sino-American relations, paving the way for Washington’s recognition of Beijing and altering the Cold War balance.

The timing was extraordinary. Pakistan itself was in crisis, yet it played host to a mission that reshaped global geopolitics. Even in its most vulnerable moment, Pakistan acted as a bridge between giants, proving that geography, trust and diplomatic audacity could outweigh military might. Pakistan’s commitment to peace has extended beyond symbolic acts. Its soldiers have marched under the UN flag in war-torn regions across Africa, the Balkans and beyond, earning a reputation for discipline and sacrifice. These missions have saved lives and reinforced Pakistan’s image as a nation willing to expend blood and sweat for global stability.

Equally consequential was Pakistan’s role in facilitating dialogue between the United States and the Taliban, which culminated in the 2020 Doha Agreement. By hosting talks, arranging shuttle diplomacy and leveraging its unique position as a neighbour with deep ties to Afghanistan, Pakistan helped create the conditions for negotiations that ended nearly two decades of direct US combat operations. Though the agreement’s aftermath remains contested, Pakistan’s contribution to bringing adversaries to the table underscored its enduring relevance as a mediator in conflicts that shape global security. Most recently, Pakistan has offered itself as a neutral interlocutor in one of the world’s most dangerous rivalries—Tehran and Washington. This reflects a consistent ethos: Pakistan sees itself not merely as a participant in global affairs, but as a mediator, a bridge-builder, a nation willing to carve out space for dialogue where confrontation seemed inevitable.

The Quran itself enjoins mediation and reconciliation: “And if two groups of believers fight, make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, then fight against the one that transgresses until it returns to the command of Allah. And if it returns, then make peace between them with justice and be fair. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:9) This divine injunction underscores the moral imperative of arbitration—a principle Pakistan has sought to embody in its diplomatic conduct. As Allama Iqbal envisioned in his call for Muslim unity: Ek hon Muslim haram ki pasbani ke liye, Neel ke sahil se le kar ta-bekhāk-e-Kashgar. (Let Muslims unite to guard the sanctuary, from the shores of the Nile to the frontiers of Kashgar.)

Iqbal’s verse resonates with Pakistan’s diplomatic legacy. From Rue Bukhari in Tunis to the corridors of power in Beijing, from UN battlefields to shuttle diplomacy in Doha and from Tehran to Washington, Pakistan has shown that nations are remembered not only for their armies but for their courage to open doors to dialogue, to mediate between adversaries and to march under the UN flag for peace. Pakistan’s diplomatic record is not without blemishes. Domestic instability, regional rivalries and shifting alliances have often constrained its ambitions. Yet its finest moments reveal a nation willing to act boldly for freedom and peace. In an era where global trust is scarce, Pakistan’s legacy reminds us that nations are defined not only by their military might but through soft power—by their willingness to stand with the oppressed, to mediate between adversaries and to risk much for the sake of dialogue.

—The writer, Retired Group Captain of PAF, is author of several books on China.

© Pakistan Observer