People gather after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, in Tehran, Iran, April 8, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
All bets were off. The world and the region were preparing for the worst. At one point, it seemed that all of Pakistan’s efforts to end hostilities were going to fail.
However, the Pakistani authorities responsible for this complex process have not given up.
The story of Pakistan’s involvement in seeking rapprochement between the United States and Iran began in June last year. It was during the 12-day Iran-Israel war, which the United States later joined, that Pakistan was thrust into the limelight.
US President Donald Trump inviting Pakistan Army Chief Marshal Syed Asim Munir was common knowledge, but what happened afterward and the quiet role Islamabad played over the past 10 months was not widely known.
The 12-day war ended with Iran’s choreographed strikes on Doha, but Pakistan, sensing the fire was temporarily out, continued working behind closed doors to broker a deal between Tehran and Washington.
The Trump-Munir meeting at the White House was instrumental in establishing personal contacts between the US president and the marshal. But significantly, the marshal’s constructive role managed to win the trust of Iran’s top leaders.
“People may have forgotten the June war, but not us,” said a senior Pakistani official familiar with the developments. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, revealed that Pakistan had opened a “discreet” channel between Tehran and Washington after the war.
At one point, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar exchanged different proposals between Iran and the United States.
The official said that months before the recent war, Pakistan had quietly pushed for a deal between Iran and the United States.
Pakistan has shared a draft agreement with the United States.
The plan envisaged that Iran would undertake not to seek nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The secret talks broke down after the United States wanted to include the issue of Iranian ballistic missiles in the final deal, which Iran was not willing to adhere to.
As tensions rose ahead of the latest phase of hostilities, Islamabad once again stepped into the fray to prevent crisis. While Oman hosted the Iran-US talks, Pakistan launched a parallel track aimed at de-escalation.
Days before the United States and Israel bombed Iran on February 28, Pakistan contacted Iran for a meeting with its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the field marshal wanted an audience with Khamenei as a last-ditch effort to avoid US and Israeli strikes.
Iranian authorities welcomed Pakistan’s efforts but declined the request for a meeting with the supreme leader, citing security concerns.
It was unclear whether the visit could have avoided the assassination of the supreme leader by the United States and Israel, but it highlighted Pakistan’s close involvement even then in preventing the war from happening.
Nevertheless, when the war began, Pakistan was not just walking a diplomatic tightrope, but was literally navigating landmines. Iran is a neighbor, while the Gulf countries – currently under attack by Iran – were Pakistan’s partners and, for some, financial lifelines.
This time the conflict was different as Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Gulf countries. Pakistan signed a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia in September, and Iranian strikes on Riyadh have made Islamabad’s challenge even more daunting.
Yet, Pakistan chose to pursue the diplomatic route, leveraging its unique position of maintaining close ties with all relevant countries party to the conflict.
“It was not an easy decision. Some of our Gulf partners were not happy. They did not support the mediation efforts. They wanted Trump to finish the job,” remarked a source briefed on the matter.
Pakistan nevertheless absorbed the pressure and pushed for diplomacy, providing channels of communication to the warring parties.
At first this met with little success, but as the war intensified, the fear of wider conflict became real. This is when Pakistan became a key interlocutor. The task, however, was extremely difficult, if not impossible.
As the world watched helplessly as drones and missiles flew over the region, ships grounded in the Strait of Hormuz, driving up oil prices, Pakistan established secure lines of communication to give diplomacy a chance.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his deputy Ishaq Dar were on the front lines, reaching out to concerned parties, but the real work was being done behind closed doors at the military and intelligence level.
About ten days ago, these diplomatic efforts were about to bear fruit as a meeting was organized between Iranian and American officials in Islamabad.
But the growing trust deficit between Tehran and Washington prevented this meeting from taking place, not once, but twice.
“We were disappointed at one point,” admitted another official. “We thought all was lost.”
But since the stakes were too high and if the war dragged on Pakistan would have been forced to take sides, efforts continued.
There was a perilous moment when all parties were close to an agreement. Iranian strikes targeting Saudi petrochemical plants have sparked a furious response from Pakistan.
The Foreign Ministry and corps commanders issued strong statements condemning the strikes, while privately informing Tehran that such attacks could potentially close the small window of diplomacy.
Iran was told that if this window was closed the results would be catastrophic. The message ultimately pushed Iran to agree to an arrangement that played out with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s late-night shift.
It was a carefully calibrated decision designed to give both sides a way out. What happened after the Prime Minister’s message on X was inevitable. Pakistan did what few were willing to bet on. Many have even questioned Islamabad’s ability to achieve something that is now in the history books.
“Despite this historic success, vigilance is required. Detractors and hostile elements could try to discredit this feat,” warned a security source.
“We must also remember that the job is only half done,” added the source.
