As the US–Israel war on Iran enters a critical phase, Pakistan is being named in the exchanges taking place between Washington and Tehran. Iranian officials have confirmed that US messages are reaching them through “friendly states”, with Pakistan mentioned alongside Türkiye and Egypt. Around the same time, a US proposal to end the war was conveyed to Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries. Islamabad has also been discussed as a possible venue for talks.

One country, despite its size, economic weight and global ambitions, is missing from this chain. India’s visible involvement amounts to a single call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump.

Over a 72-hour window from March 22 to 25, Pakistan’s diplomatic activity tells a different story. General Asim Munir spoke with President Trump. The next day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar remained in contact with Abbas Araghchi and counterparts in Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar, while also briefing Arab officials in Riyadh.

Additional contacts among intelligence channels remain undisclosed. All of these were not symbolic gestures but part of a coordinated effort linking Washington and Tehran through multiple channels at a moment when direct engagement remained constrained.

India does not appear in this sequence. There are no reports of Indian officials speaking to Tehran during this period, no indication of India conveying messages between Washington and Iran, and no mention of New Delhi in discussions about venues or frameworks. The call to Washington stands alone.

That absence carries weight because India is not a marginal actor. It is the world’s fifth-largest economy and has spent a decade projecting itself as an emerging global power. Yet in a crisis unfolding in its extended neighbourhood, it is not part of the exchanges that matter.

At the same time, Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership was engaged in round-the-clock exchanges—linking Washington and Tehran while coordinating with Türkiye, Egypt and Gulf actors—Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a call from President Trump on March 24.

The content of that call, as described by US officials, was routine: discussion on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, regional stability, and de-escalation—similar to Trump’s outreach to other world leaders amid global energy concerns. PM Modi described it as a “useful exchange”, but the substance placed India as a concerned stakeholder, not a participant shaping outcomes.

India has long presented itself as a bridge between the West and the Islamic world. Yet when a situation arises that requires precisely that role, it is Pakistan that is being used

India has long presented itself as a bridge between the West and the Islamic world. Yet when a situation arises that requires precisely that role, it is Pakistan that is being used

The attempt by Indian officials and media to project this as strategic involvement stands in contrast to the reality that communication between the principal actors was moving through........

© The Friday Times