Regional powers are due to meet in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Sunday to try to end the month-long Iran-US war in the Middle East, even as some 2,500 US marines have arrived in the region and Iran-backed Houthi rebels have entered the conflict. Islamabad is positioning itself as a potential venue for diplomatic talks aimed at bringing the United States and Iran to talks on ending the fighting.
Read also | Trump not so “sharif”? US Prez makes Pak PM wait 60 minutes before meeting
The war disrupted global oil and gas supplies, caused fertilizer shortages, and affected air travel. Iran’s control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz further unsettled markets and pushed up prices.
Who are the participants?
Senior diplomats from across the region are expected to attend the talks in Islamabad. According to Pakistan, key participants include the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, as well as Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who will lead the discussions.
Read also | Rajnath Singh claims “Borders may change and Sindh may return to India”
The Pakistani government said diplomats would meet for two days, Sunday and Monday, to address a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate regional tensions.
Pakistan said on Thursday it was “actively and constructively engaging” with all stakeholders in the region and beyond to end the Iran war peacefully.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had “extensive discussions” about the ongoing hostilities.
Pezeshkian on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the war with the US and Israel. Speaking to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian “thanked Pakistan for its mediation efforts to stop the aggression against the Islamic Republic,” the presidency said, according to AFP.
Read also | Pakistan baked again? French Navy slams ‘fake news’ over Rafale claims.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a conference in Istanbul on Saturday that the world’s emerging “polycentric system” required solutions to protect vital energy and trade routes, Reuters reported.
He noted that Turkey’s high-level dialogue aims to quickly outline “current steps” to end the war before it causes further devastation to the region and the global economy.
Geo News reported that the meeting was earlier supposed to be held in Turkiye, but because of Dar’s engagement, he asked the leaders to come to Islamabad.
“The meeting was supposed to be held in Turkiye, but because of my engagement, I asked my brothers to meet in Islamabad tomorrow (Sunday) instead,” Dar said.
Pakistan also confirmed the passing of messages between the US and Iran, saying that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way to end the conflict in West Asia.
Pakistan is hosting neighboring countries at a time when poverty in the country has risen to 43.5%, significantly higher than official estimates, according to a report by the Social Policy and Development Center (SPDC).
The SPDC findings, reported by The Express Tribune, reveal a gap of 14.6 percentage points from the 28.9% poverty rate reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and the Planning Commission.
Read also | Why is the Pakistan-IMF honeymoon phase still not over? Timeline
Iran is reviewing the 15-point US proposal, although one Iranian official dismissed it as “one-sided and unfair”. The proposal reportedly includes demands to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, curb its missile development, and de facto cede control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel continue to attack Iran, whose retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states, killing more than 3,000 people.
Houthi involvement could worsen global shipping disruptions if they again target vessels in the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb strait, a route that handles about 12% of world trade.
Oil is rising
Oil prices have continued to rise in recent days as hopes for a ceasefire in the near future have faded. Brent crude closed above $112 a barrel on Friday, representing a more than 55% rise in the international benchmark since the conflict began.
The ongoing war created fuel shortages and raised fears of slower economic growth combined with rising inflation, stagflation, across the global economy.
(With input from agencies)
