ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday expressed satisfaction over de-escalation in the Iran war, as they reviewed Pakistan’s mediation efforts and urged all sides to show restraint ahead of talks Islamabad hopes will lead to a broader settlement.
The meeting comes as a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran comes under strain amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, with Pakistan preparing to host talks between the two sides over the weekend.
“The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed upon the need for maintaining peace and ceasefire by all parties,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement circulated after the meeting.
“The leadership appreciated the restraint demonstrated by all sides and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all out support to both the sides to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement,” it added.
Both the US and Iran have signaled their willingness to participate in the talks, with the White House saying Vice President JD Vance would lead the US delegation in Islamabad.
However, the ceasefire has come under pressure as Israel, a US ally, has continued its strikes in Lebanon, which Tehran says are in violation of the truce.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran had been close to responding to what he said was a ceasefire breach, but stepped back after Pakistan intervened, according to remarks reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency and cited by ITV News.
Pakistani authorities also announced a public holiday in the capital on Thursday and Friday, a move often taken ahead of high-level diplomatic engagements, while essential services will remain operational.
An Iranian diplomatic source said earlier that a delegation was expected to arrive in Islamabad for talks, though the timing remained unclear after an initial announcement was withdrawn.
With input from AFP
