Pakistan was always an unlikely mediator for peace negotiations between the United States, Iran and sotto voce, China. It would not be an exaggeration to describe Pakistan as a failed state. Having outperformed India economically in the aftermath of partition, Pakistan went into steep decline after the arrival on the political scene of a corrupt chancer, socialist and demagogue, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Today, bankrupt Pakistan is kept afloat by loans from the IMF, China, and the Gulf States.

Trump can be in no doubt that, with regards to political power in Pakistan, it is Munir who wears the pants

Trump can be in no doubt that, with regards to political power in Pakistan, it is Munir who wears the pants

Bhutto’s political dynasty continued under the aegis of his daughter Benazir and later his grandson. Power alternated with Nawaz Sharif, whose brother Shehbaz Sharif is Pakistan’s current incumbent as prime minister. Nominally, Pakistan is a democracy, though arguably it is a military dictatorship every bit as totalitarian as Russia. Pakistan’s political parties are given license to govern by an army which has its grubby paws in every nook and cranny of the economy.

Woe betide anyone who tries to interrupt this cozy arrangement. Former prime minister Imran Khan learned this to his cost. Despite surviving several assassination attempts by his political opponents, and winning most seats in the 2024 election, Khan was inveigled out of power. He remains incarcerated in prison. Despite attempts to erase him from the public consciousness, Khan, lauded for his integrity and charitable works, is still by far the most popular politician in Pakistan and is arguably the world’s most famous political prisoner.

Given Pakistan’s rinky-dink reputation what is it about the country that makes it such a desirable moderator in the US-Iran........

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