Islamabad's Message of Hope and Dialogue
Pakistan on Wednesday voiced optimism for peace in West Asia despite heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, with officials underscoring the need for dialogue and diplomacy to ensure regional stability. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, speaking at a weekly press briefing, said, "Despite recent escalations, we remain hopeful, and we will continue to strive for dialogue and diplomacy."
Andrabi said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reiterated Pakistan's commitment to peace through restraint, dialogue and diplomacy, and stressed that the Islamabad MoU offered "the most viable pathway to lasting peace and stability in the region." The remarks came days after Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held separate meetings with Iranian leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held on Monday.
High-Level Engagements with Iran
On the summit's sidelines, Sharif met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, where they discussed the evolving regional situation. Dar also met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, underlining the need for dialogue and diplomacy to promote peace and stability in the region.
Andrabi also said that Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had visited Tehran last week to help facilitate an end to the US-Iran conflict. The visit, he said, "underscored Islamabad's sincere and constructive role in bridging differences between Washington and Tehran."
The Islamabad MoU and Collapsed Negotiations
In June, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at bringing peace in West Asia, with Pakistan signing as a guarantor. However, the negotiations collapsed in early July following renewed military strikes, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement and remaining deadlocked over demands related to the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a Gulf chokepoint through which about a fifth of the world's energy supplies passed in peacetime.
Trilateral Defence Framework Advances
Andrabi also spoke about the inaugural meeting of the Strategic, Political and Defence Committee established under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, held on August 31. He said the three sides—Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye—had reaffirmed their resolve to work together for regional peace, stability and de-escalation, including through restraint and peaceful resolution of crises.
The trilateral defence agreement, signed on August 7, stipulates that an attack against one of the countries will be treated as an attack against all three. Andrabi said the three countries had agreed to further institutionalise cooperation under the agreement, strengthening solidarity, collective deterrence and defence, and cooperative security for "just, inclusive and lasting peace."
He added that a secretariat headed by a secretary-general would be established in Saudi Arabia, with the post initially held by a secretary-general from Pakistan for a three-year term.