Washington: The White House leveraged Pakistan as a key diplomatic channel to reach Iran for a temporary ceasefire, highlighting Islamabad’s pivotal yet contested role in sensitive backchannel negotiations, a Financial Times report said.
For weeks, the Trump administration leaned on Islamabad to persuade Tehran to accept a pause in fighting tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The US-backed proposal’s acceptability to Iran hinged on Pakistan’s positioning as a Muslim-majority neighbour.
Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, spearheaded the effort, closely coordinating with senior US officials. As the deadline approached, Munir held calls with President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Pakistani officials shuttled proposals between Washington and Tehran.
Islamabad transmitted a US-drafted 15-point plan and conveyed Iran’s responses, including five- and 10-point counter-proposals. Diplomats say Iran gradually became more open to limiting aspects of its nuclear programme, but only after sustained backchannel engagement.
The diplomacy culminated in a two-week ceasefire announced by the US, Iran, and Israel, even as Trump publicly escalated his rhetoric, warning he could destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation” if his terms were not met.
In a different report, The New York Times said that Pakistan’s public messaging was closely aligned with Washington’s position.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s social media appeal seeking an extension of Trump’s deadline was seen and cleared by the White House before it was posted, suggesting deeper coordination than publicly acknowledged, the daily said.
The report said the post, which framed diplomacy as “progressing steadily, strongly, and powerfully,” came as Trump’s deadline approached and Islamabad sought to create an offramp for both sides. The White House’s prior approval of the message pointed to active diplomatic engagement behind the scenes, even as public rhetoric remained confrontational, the New York Times said.
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Photo: Xinhua
–IANS
