ISLAMABAD: Overseas ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Türkiye met on Sunday (Mar 29) for talks on the war in the Middle East, with Islamabad appearing as a go-between for the US and Iran.
The four-way assembly between the highest diplomats of the Muslim nations convened “to evaluation the evolving regional scenario and focus on problems with mutual curiosity”, Pakistan’s overseas ministry mentioned in a short assertion.
Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty and Hakan Fidan from Türkiye arrived in Islamabad on Saturday night time, whereas their Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan touched down on Sunday afternoon.
A number of roads resulting in Islamabad’s Crimson Zone – the place key authorities buildings and diplomatic missions are primarily based – have been sealed off, AFP reporters mentioned.
Safety was tight and the driveway of the overseas ministry was embellished with the flags of all 4 international locations. Iran, the US and Israel weren’t represented, a overseas ministry supply mentioned.
Earlier than the assembly, Pakistan’s Overseas Minister Ishaq Dar held separate bilateral talks together with his visiting counterparts. Fidan and Abdelatty additionally collectively met Pakistan’s highly effective military chief, Subject Marshal Asim Munir.
The federal government in Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the US as their battle drags on, serving as an middleman for messages between the 2 sides.
Islamabad has longstanding hyperlinks with Tehran and shut contacts within the Gulf, whereas Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir have struck up a private rapport with US President Donald Trump.
Tehran has refused to confess to holding official talks with Washington however has handed a response to Trump’s 15-point plan to end the war by way of Islamabad, in keeping with an nameless supply cited by the Iranian Tasnim information company.
Sharif on Saturday mentioned he had an in depth phone dialog with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian lasting over one hour, detailing his nation’s “ongoing diplomatic outreach”.
Pezeshkian thanked Islamabad “for its mediation efforts to cease the aggression”.
Late on Saturday, Dar, who can also be the nation’s deputy prime minister, mentioned Iran had allowed 20 extra Pakistani-flagged vessels – or two ships day by day – to move by the Strait of Hormuz.
“Dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the one approach ahead,” Dar mentioned on X, tagging US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s Overseas Minister Abbas Araghchi.
