Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stepped forward as a peacemaker to help secure a ceasefire with Iran.
Pakistan borders Iran and is also a close friend of the United States. Pakistan’s prime minister has worked with the Trump administration and is considered to have warm ties with the White House. This has enabled Islamabad to play a role in the peace talks.
This is important because it illustrates the growing roles of countries in South Asia and West Asia. Pakistan is also very close to China and is, therefore, an important bridge between East and West.
Unlike India, with its much larger economy, Pakistan has often been overshadowed in recent decades. This is partly because it struggles to keep a lid on internal chaos. It has also struggled to remain a democracy, despite coups and military rule over the last century.
Pakistan also has a complex relationship with its neighbors. It has backed extremists against India; it has backed the Taliban in the past and is now fighting with the Taliban-run Afghanistan.
Thus, Pakistan is not a great peacemaker in its own border regions. It also has a Baloch insurgency to deal with in the large Balochistan region near Iran. There are many Baloch in Iran as well, meaning any weakening of the Islamic Republic can lead to chaos for Pakistan.
Sharif wrote on X/Twitter that “as we proceed to Islamabad talks, I wish to extend our deepest and sincere gratitude to our brotherly countries People’s Republic of China, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Turkey, Arab Republic of Egypt, and State of Qatar for extending invaluable and all out support toward reaching the ceasefire and giving peaceful diplomatic efforts a chance to seek a comprehensive and conclusive end to the conflict.”
He added, “I would also like to deeply appreciate and thank our brotherly countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose consistent support and commitment to peace and stability in the region remains quintessential for our efforts.”
Pakistan has close ties with the Gulf. It also has a growing alliance and defense pact with Saudi Arabia. This is part of how countries in South Asia are closely linked to the Gulf.
“The leadership of all our brotherly countries and [the] United States of America demonstrated exceptional strategic foresight, sagacity, and patience in giving peace a chance,” the Pakistani prime minister said.
“I also thank all our partners and friends across the globe who have reached out and acknowledged Pakistan’s sincere efforts for global peace. Let us all work together to forge a lasting peace in the region and beyond,” he said.
Other nearby states join Pakistan's efforts
As Pakistan steps forward as a peacemaker, it is joined by Turkey, Qatar, China, and other countries.
Turkey, Qatar, and Pakistan are all close friends of the US. Turkey and Qatar are allies of Washington.
These countries want to see the chaos of the Iran war end. They want to see an agreement. They are also concerned about how the US and Israel appear to have rushed into this war.
Doha, Ankara, and Islamabad, all critical of Israel’s role in the conflict, worry that the Jewish state has dragged the region into more instability.
As such, Islamabad will want to raise its profile to try to get to a peace deal. Doing this will also carry risk. If the deal fails, Pakistan will look bad. This will cause a loss of pride and honor in a country that takes these issues very seriously. Islamabad will not want to be betrayed.
Oman, which played a key role in the Iran-US talks in June and February, felt betrayed. It believes that the US and Israel rushed to war and basically deceived Oman and Iran. As such, Oman felt burned by this war.
Pakistan is therefore now carrying the risk. It apparently reached out to US Vice President JD Vance because he is seen as reliable and as a possible skeptic about the war.
Iran believes that it was deceived by other US mediators. It remains to be seen if Pakistan can build the trust needed for peace.