New Delhi, April 17 (IANS) Pakistan’s civilian government once again appears to be facing escalating military dominance, amid high-stakes US-Iran mediation efforts in which Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s prominent role underscores Rawalpindi’s tightening grip over foreign policy, raising serious questions about democratic erosion.“Pakistan has emerged as an unlikely diplomatic broker between Iran and the US, and Munir is widely seen as a key driving force,” The Guardian reported on Fr…
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Washington, April 16 (IANS) Pakistan should focus on securing its own peace before projecting itself as an arbiter of it on the international stage, a report highlighted on Thursday citing the recent failed Islamabad talks between Iran and the United States. Writing in US-based ‘Inkstick Media’, Marcus Andreopoulos stated that while Islamabad’s role in brokering a temporary ceasefire may have resulted in greater global attention in the short term, any optimism quickly faded once US Vice Presiden…
Kabul, April 13 (IANS) Pakistan’s mediating role between the United States and Iran resembled that of a courier rather than a mediator, lacking leverage, proposed solutions, and the ability to push both sides toward compromise. Pakistan acted as a diplomatic channel through which big powers like China communicated their positions without any direct engagement, a report highlighted on Monday.”The world watched with a mixture of relief and surprise on April 8 when the United States and Iran agreed…
Washington, April 12 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a sweeping naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of refusing to abandon its nuclear ambitions despite nearly 20 hours of talks mediated in Pakistan. In a series of lengthy posts on Truth Social, Trump said negotiations “went well” and “most points were agreed to”, but asserted that Tehran remained “unyielding as to the single most important issue”, adding: “IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS…
New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Veena Sikri, said on Saturday that Iran had urged the US Vice-President (V-P) J.D. Vance to join the peace talks currently underway in Pakistan’s Islamabad, because of his anti-war approach. She also called Pakistan’s role in facilitation of the talks as “choreographed” by the US.Speaking to IANS, Sikri said, “It is known that a few days ago, US President Donald Trump announced that he would ‘obliterate Iran’, and the ce…
Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh), April 11 (IANS) Rehan Kazmi, a resident of Kintoor here, the ancestral village of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, on Saturday, asserted that the US has been “defeated badly” and Iran “has won on the basis of its strength and capability”. He also alleged that Pakistan is working according to the direction of the US and that the latter had asked Islamabad to attempt mediation during the ongoing West Asia conflict.His reaction comes ahead of a m…
Kabul, April 11 (IANS) Pakistan’s commitment under the bilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia appears to be largely symbolic, with Islamabad’s response to Iranian strikes in the Kingdom proving hollow, a report has mentioned. According to Afghan Diaspora Network, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, addressing the Senate on March 3, said that he reminded the Iranian Foreign Minister of the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia.However, citing a treaty is not the s…
Washington, April 11 (IANS) The United States and Iran are heading into high-stakes ceasefire talks in Islamabad amid deep mistrust, competing demands and mounting pressure on both sides to find an exit from the conflict, according to mainstream American media reports.As The Washington Post reported, the two sides appear to share little common ground beyond “their need to find an exit ramp from the war.”Ahead of the talks, both countries accused each other of acting in bad faith. US Presiden…
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) As sections of Pakistani media claimed that the country’s diplomatic intervention in the Iran-US crisis merits consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize, political leaders from the BJP and Shiv Sena on Friday dismissed the idea as ‘a joke.’ They argued that if those accused of promoting terrorism are considered for such an honour, then even Adolf Hitler would qualify for the Nobel Prize. The debate gained traction after US President Donald Trump stated that he had agre…
Washington, April 9 (IANS) The White House used Pakistan as a primary channel to reach Iran on a temporary ceasefire, underscoring Islamabad’s pivotal yet contested role in sensitive back-channel diplomacy, the Financial Times, London, reported.For weeks, the Trump administration leaned on Islamabad to persuade Tehran to accept a pause in fighting tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan’s positioning as a Muslim-majority neighbour was seen as key to making the US-backed proposal mor…