Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said “full efforts” were underway to resolve the conflict between the United States and Iran following direct talks between the two sides.
Sharif, who was praised by both countries along with Army chief Asim Munir for his role in facilitating the dialogue, said the two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran “still stands.”
The 21-hour talks held on Saturday marked the first such high-level engagement between the US and Iran since 1979. However, the discussions in Pakistan over the weekend failed to produce a lasting peace agreement to end hostilities.
US President Donald Trump has announced the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz from Monday in a bid to cripple Iran’s oil supplies to China and other countries, amid a deepening global energy crisis.
"Today, the ceasefire still stands. As I am talking to you, matters that are not resolved, full efforts are underway to resolve them,” Shehbaz said while addressing a meeting of the cabinet.
He also said that Pakistan was making "full efforts" to resolve the unresolved issues.
The premier hailed talks between the two countries in Islamabad as a “historic moment” while the meet gave Pakistan a chance to “turn looming clouds of war into lasting peace”.
He said the US and Iranian delegations had issued separate statements after talks, but they had commonalities.
He said that agreements need years to come into shape and added that “if you look through history — take the Oslo Agreement, the Geneva Accord, the Good Friday Agreement … it took months and sometimes years to end hostilities and establish peace”.
He also talked about the structure of the Islamabad talks, which were held both in an indirect and direct format.
The premier said God granted Pakistan an opportunity to mediate between the two sides that “were not ready even to see each other for 47 years”. Both sides expressed gratitude to Pakistan and lauded Pakistani leadership “for playing a brotherly role," he said.
“It was the first time that the two delegations sat face-to-face. I am a witness to it,” he said, adding that the process went on continuously for 21 hours.
The prime minister also said Pakistan worked day and night to bring the two sides to the table, and it was due to its efforts that the ceasefire between the parties was still holding.
“That is why I believe that the Islamabad peace talks were a historic event,” he said.
The prime minister appreciated Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Munir and their teams for their role in the Islamabad talks.
He especially lauded Munir and his team, who made it possible for Pakistan to broker a two-week ceasefire.
He said that the Field Marshal and his team spent sleepless nights, adding that there were moments when matters were close to falling apart, but then they were resolved.
(WIth inputs from PTI)