PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVE

Islamabad is experiencing its most intense diplomatic moment in decades and makes no effort to hide its pride. Dawn details a two-pronged shuttle diplomacy operation: military chief Asim Munir leads a delegation to Tehran that includes Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and ISI Director General Lieutenant General Asim Malik, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarks on a tour of Riyadh-Doha-Istanbul. The newspaper reveals that Munir carries a message from Washington that includes elements related to the ceasefire in Lebanon—a sign that Pakistani mediation now extends beyond Iran alone. According to a source close to the delegation cited by Dawn, Tehran is waiting for an Israeli announcement on a Lebanese ceasefire before responding to the American message relayed through Pakistan.

Geo News publishes an editorial that forgoes subtlety: Islamabad's talks are not a failure, they are "an early-stage achievement." The editorial stresses that bringing Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table for the first time since 1979 is itself an achievement, and that the recognition received "from both sides of the table" proves Islamabad's credibility. The piece emphasizes that Pakistan has maintained balance between China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United States simultaneously—an exercise in "strategic calibration" that the editorial judges "often underestimated."

This triumphalist framing reflects the domestic context: Pakistan is navigating a severe economic crisis (the IMF maintains growth at 3.6 percent against a 4.2 percent target), and this diplomatic victory offers the military establishment and Sharif government rare political capital. The military, which controls foreign policy in fact, positions itself as indispensable to regional stability—a powerful argument against domestic criticism over rule of law and suppression of opposition.