Pakistan’s army chief and prime minister wrap up separate diplomatic missions to Tehran and Turkey, aiming to broker peace as US-Iran talks are set to resume in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top military and civilian leaders concluded separate diplomatic tours aimed at ending the Iran war.
Field Marshal Asim Munir left Tehran after a three-day visit, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif headed home from Turkey.
Munir met Iran’s president, foreign minister, parliament speaker and the head of its military central command centre.
The Pakistani military said the visit demonstrated Pakistan’s “unwavering resolve to facilitate a negotiated settlement… and to promote peace, stability, and prosperity”.
A second round of talks between the United States and Iran is expected in Islamabad this coming week.
In Tehran, “the Field Marshal underscored the need for dialogue, de-escalation, and peaceful resolution of outstanding issues through sustained diplomatic engagements”, the Pakistani statement said.
Sharif’s tour included Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to push the peace process.
He and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departed a diplomacy forum in Antalya on Saturday.
The diplomacy follows high-level US-Iran talks in Islamabad last week, which ended without an agreement.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian delegation to those talks.
Hours after Munir’s departure, Tehran threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz again if the US continued its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran had just reopened the strategic waterway following a ceasefire in Lebanon.
