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EXPERT COMMENT

Islamabad has an obvious interest in ending the war, to ease energy problems and cool tensions on its border with Iran. But any hopes for economic benefits from the Trump administration may be misplaced.

While the world waits for a peace agreement between the United States and Iran, with US President Donald Trump announcing a possible second round of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan continues to take centre stage as an indefatigable mediator claiming neutrality and the trust of all sides. For a country still mired in conflicts with its neighbours and viewed until recently by Trump as a strategic destabilizer, Pakistan’s emergence as a peacemaker is nothing short of a dazzling reinvention.  

Islamabad’s achievements in securing a ceasefire between the US and Iran and bringing the two warring parties together for their first high level direct engagement since 1979 are not to be underestimated. 

But Pakistan’s ongoing military campaign against Afghanistan, its historically uneasy relations with Iran, and the ambiguous terms of its yet to be ratified mutual defence agreement with Saudi Arabia do cast a shadow over its credibility as a peacemaker and neutral host.

Pakistan’s meteoric rise as a mediator is driven by a combination of necessity and structural constraints. The strong personal ties between President Trump and Pakistan’s all-powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir – who retains a tight grip over his country’s foreign policy – are also a crucial factor. 

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.