“Why Pakistan for US-Iran ceasefire talks?”, My Ind Maker, April 13, 2026
“The much-awaited US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad failed to accomplish a ceasefire. Touted to play the role of mediation, the process was roiled in controversies and elicited sharp rebuke even before the negotiations could begin in Pakistan. The conditional ceasefire, which was announced on April 8th, showed signs of tottering just a couple of hours later as Gulf countries- Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE reported strikes. Soon, it was confirmed that Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Gulf countries in response to an attack on the Lavan Island refinery. Before these escalations could simmer down, Israel launched one of the largest attacks on Lebanon, killing 240 people.
An enraged Tehran warned of a ceasefire collapse over Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Israel defended its action, stating that Lebanon is beyond the ambit of the ceasefire. Washington backed Israel’s position. The confusion over Lebanon soon put Islamabad in a spot. Though PM Shahbaz Sharif sought the refuge of his tweet as an alibi, indicating the ceasefire applied to EVERYTHING, soon parties accused Islamabad of sharing different versions of ceasefire agreements. The ‘double game’ and accusations complicated the diplomatic process.
Even before accusations could subside, revelling in the new global role, Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Sharif called on Muslim countries to unite against enemies- India and Israel. In a chest-thumping exuberance, Khwaja Sharif tweeted, “Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated. I hope and pray that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land, to get rid of (sic) European Jews burn in hell”. This triggered an immediate backlash from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…….”
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