- Field Marshal Asim Munir calls on PM Shehbaz at PMO.
- PM, COAS express satisfaction over de-escalation in ME conflict.
- Lebanon seeks Pakistan’s support to stop Israeli attacks.
Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all-out support to the US and Iran to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement.
The resolve came after Field Marshal Munir called on PM Shehbaz at the Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
The dignitaries reviewed the progress of Pakistan’s mediation efforts to achieve sustainable peace in the region, the statement said, adding that two leaders expressed satisfaction with the de-escalation achieved so far and stressed the need to maintain peace and a ceasefire by all parties.
“The leadership appreciated the restraint demonstrated by all sides and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate and provide all-out support to both sides to arrive at a peacefully negotiated settlement,” it added.
The statement read that the prime minister lauded the commitment of the parties involved in the process and wished them success in their pursuit of peace.
“He [PM] also renewed his invitation to the arriving delegations and assured them of the highest consideration and support by Pakistan,” the statement concluded.
The meeting takes place as Pakistan is set to host the US and Iran delegations this weekend following the announcement of a temporary ceasefire brokered by Islamabad.
The war began when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran that assassinated its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, sparking retaliatory attacks from Tehran on Gulf nations and Israel.
Pakistan, which has forged a close relationship with US President Donald Trump and is sensitive to developments in neighbouring Iran, emerged as a channel for messaging between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks.
Both Tehran and Washington said they had agreed to a two-week truce barely an hour before Trump’s deadline to obliterate Iran was set to expire.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had told reporters a day earlier that President Trump was dispatching his Iran negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan for talks.
Lebanon seeks Pakistan’s support to stop Israeli attacks
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to discuss the escalating violence in the region.
The prime minister strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon and offered condolences for the thousands of lives lost in recent hostilities, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
During the call, PM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan’s active engagement in regional peace initiatives, noting that it was in this spirit that the Iran‑US peace talks were being convened.
The Lebanese premier thanked Pakistan for its efforts and sought Islamabad’s support to secure an immediate end to the attacks targeting Lebanese civilians.
Both leaders agreed to maintain close contact as the situation develops.
