What was Pakistan's role in US-Iran ceasefire? Journalist Hamid Mir explains Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said Pakistan acted as a facilitator rather than a direct mediator in efforts to secure a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir on Wednesday described Pakistan’s role in efforts to broker a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran as that of a facilitator rather than a direct mediator. In an exclusive interview with India Today's Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Mir said Islamabad’s contribution to US-Iran de-escalation was acknowledged by multiple stakeholders, including US President Donald Trump and the Iranian leadership. However, he drew a clear distinction between mediation and facilitation. “There were two-three parties in this war. One side was the US and Israel, the other side was Iran. Then some Gulf countries also joined the US and Israel because the Iranians were attacking US bases in retaliation,” he said. Mir stressed that Pakistan could not be considered a full mediator due to its diplomatic limitations. “Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, so a mediator should have access to all the parties. Pakistan had limited access – it had access only to the US and Iran. I think Pakistan was playing the role of a facilitator. It was a peace initiative,” he said. According to Mir, Pakistan’s outreach began immediately after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. “This initiative actually started immediately after the war on March 1. Our Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called both the parties. He called (Iranian Foreign Minister) Abbas Araghchi and he also contacted the US administration. He also contacted Saudis and other stakeholders in the Gulf countries,” he said. He added that the initial focus was narrower – to prevent escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. “Initially, Pakistan was only trying to create some communication channel between Iran and Saudi Arabia because Pakistan has a direct cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia,” Mir said. Describing Islamabad’s message to Tehran, the journalist said, “Pakistan was telling Iranians, ‘Please do not attack Saudi Arabia because we have our defence cooperation pact with them. So please don’t create a situation in which we have to take some decisions which you may not like.’” Mir said Pakistan’s role evolved as the situation developed. “But gradually, Turkey also jumped in and then Pakistan was forced to take the position of a facilitator,” he added. He stressed that Pakistan’s involvement was not that of a formal negotiator but a bridge-builder. “It was a peace initiative,” he said, underscoring Islamabad’s role in facilitating communication between the US and Iran rather than directly mediating a ceasefire.
What was Pakistan's role in US-Iran ceasefire? Journalist Hamid Mir explains Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said Pakistan acted as a facilitator rather than a direct mediator in efforts to secure a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir on Wedn…
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