By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched a flurry of diplomatic outreach on Tuesday, engaging with Iranian and Saudi leaders and meeting with key regional ambassadors to press for dialogue and de-escalation in the Middle East, where a tenuous US-brokered ceasefire has taken hold after weeks of spiraling violence.
The diplomatic push follows a rapid sequence of events that pushed the region to the edge of broader conflict. Late last week, the United States carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, a response to days of Israeli attacks targeting Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership. On Tuesday, Iran retaliated with a missile strike on a US military base in Qatar, an attack that Qatar denounced as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, warning it reserved the right to respond under international law.
Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.
The truce has offered a momentary pause, but tensions remain high, placing Pakistan in a precarious position as it seeks to balance its ties with Iran, Gulf allies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and the United States, a major trading partner and source of military and economic aid.
Talks with Iran and Saudi Arabia
On Tuesday, Sharif spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for the third time in as many days, underscoring Pakistan’s concern over the escalating crisis. “The prime minister said that Pakistan was closely following the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East. He emphasized the importance of restoring peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” Sharif’s office said in a statement following the call.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Iran at international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), while urging all parties to respect international law and the UN Charter.
Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s backing, according to the statement. “He appreciated Pakistan’s consistent and principled support to Iran throughout the crisis,” Sharif’s office noted, adding that the Iranian leader “acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.”
The two leaders stressed the need for unity among Muslim nations during this turbulent period and pledged to remain in contact.
Separately, Sharif held a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to address the same crisis. “While referring to last night’s attacks, he called for adherence to international law and the U.N. Charter principles by all sides,” Sharif’s office reported.
He reiterated Pakistan’s “unwavering support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and praised the crown prince’s efforts to calm tensions, describing them as emblematic of Saudi Arabia’s leadership in the Muslim world.
The crown prince reciprocated, thanking Pakistan for its solidarity. “His Royal Highness said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was fully committed to efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said.
Meetings with Regional Envoys
Beyond these high-level talks, Sharif met with ambassadors from China, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar in Islamabad on Tuesday, signaling Pakistan’s intent to rally broader support for its peace initiative.
In a meeting with Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Sharif emphasized collaboration with Riyadh. “Pakistan will continue to work closely with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for peace in the region through dialogue and diplomacy,” he wrote on his official X account.
Later, he met with Qatari envoy Ali Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater to express solidarity with Doha following Iran’s attack on the U.S. base at Al-Udeid. “Pakistan expresses its deep concern and alarm at the serious escalation in the security situation in the region as a result of attacks against USA’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement, calling for restraint and respect for international law.
In the afternoon, Sharif conferred with China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong. The Chinese envoy “lauded the proactive and positive role being played by Pakistan at every diplomatic forum, including at the U.N. Security Council, for a peaceful settlement of the [Middle East] crisis through dialogue and diplomacy,” according to Sharif’s office.
China, which brokered a landmark Saudi-Iran rapprochement in 2023, has offered to mediate in the current conflict, though its efforts remain less visible than those of regional players like Qatar or Oman.
Pakistan’s diplomatic flurry reflects the tightrope it walks in a region marked by competing interests. Islamabad has defended Iran’s right to respond to Israeli and U.S. aggression under the U.N. Charter and offered Tehran diplomatic backing at global forums. Yet it maintains deep security and economic ties with the United States, a key supporter of Israel, and nurtures longstanding partnerships with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
Dinner for Delegation
Prime Minister Sharif also hosted a dinner on Tuesday to honor a delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, which recently briefed world capitals on Islamabad’s stance in an escalating crisis with India.
The diplomatic effort follows a four-day military clash last month, the most intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades, that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on May 10. The conflict, involving drones, missiles, and artillery, claimed nearly 70 lives and heightened fears of all-out war.
The delegation, spearheaded by Bhutto-Zardari and including prominent figures such as Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, and Hina Rabbani Khar, visited the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.
Their goal was to highlight India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered pact that has governed water sharing between the two nations since 1960. The treaty’s disruption has intensified an already tense standoff.
At the dinner, Sharif commended the delegation’s work. “The delegation presented the events from Pahalgam to the Indus Waters Treaty [suspension] effectively and accurately,” he said. “I hope that with your guidance, cooperation, and suggestions, we will overcome all internal and external challenges.”
The crisis began with a militant attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, a town in occupied Kashmir, killing 26 tourists. India blamed Pakistan for the assault and suspended the IWT, threatening water supplies for 80 percent of Pakistani farms. Islamabad has denied involvement, offered to join an international probe, and launched a diplomatic counteroffensive.
In a forceful speech to Pakistan’s lower house on Monday, Bhutto-Zardari claimed Islamabad had outmaneuvered New Delhi. “Islamabad defeated New Delhi on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in the war of narratives,” he said.
He warned India over the water dispute. “Share water fairly, or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers [of the Indus basin].”
Bhutto-Zardari also rejected India’s assertion that the IWT is defunct, calling it illegal. “The attack on Sindhu [Indus river] and India’s claim that the IWT has ended and is in abeyance—this is baseless. The treaty binds both nations, and the threat to stop water violates the U.N. Charter,” he said.
India, in turn, has vowed to escalate pressure. Interior Minister Amit Shah told the Times of India that New Delhi plans to redirect water flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan via a new canal. “Pakistan will be starved of water it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah said, raising the stakes in the dispute.
Under the IWT, Pakistan controls the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, for irrigation, drinking, and hydropower, while India has unrestricted use of the eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, but must maintain their flow. India can use the western rivers for limited purposes like power generation but cannot store or divert significant volumes.
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