By S.M. Inam
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Wednesday that Islamabad would host delegations from the United States and Iran later this week, following the announcement of their two-week ceasefire.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to the leadership of both countries and invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes,” he wrote on X.
Pakistan, which has developed close ties with US President Donald Trump and remains highly attuned to developments in neighboring Iran, has recently acted as a key channel for communication between Tehran and Washington.
“We earnestly hope that the ‘Islamabad Talks’ succeed in achieving sustainable peace and wish to share more good news in the coming days,” the prime minister added. Both Tehran and Washington had agreed to the two-week ceasefire barely an hour before Trump’s deadline to strike Iran was set to expire.
PM Shehbaz also confirmed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had assured Tehran’s participation in the talks to finalize a settlement to their conflict, a confirmation made during a 45-minute phone call between the two leaders, he said in another post on X.
PM Shehbaz emphasized that the ceasefire applied “everywhere,” including Lebanon, although Israel later said it would continue its operations against Hezbollah. The temporary truce followed a tense, last-minute diplomatic effort by Pakistan and other mediators to avert Trump’s threat to destroy all power plants and bridges across Iran—a move that legal experts warned could constitute a war crime.
