Pakistan PM heads to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye in bid to end war on Iran

Sharif pushing for further negotiations. Trump says talks could resume in Pakistan in next two days.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to embark on a four-day diplomatic tour to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye as his bid to moderate the second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran appears to gather momentum.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the official visits are scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday, with meetings in Saudi Arabia and Qatar conducted “in the bilateral context”, while talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other leaders will take place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari had said in a statement that Sharif had briefed him on his drive to discuss the issue with his fellow mediators and to secure further negotiations, which comes during a two-week ceasefire that has halted US and Israeli attacks on Iran until April 22.

Zardari urged the prime minister and other officials to remain engaged with the US, Iran and other key powers to try to sustain the peace process.

After unconfirmed reports on Monday that backchannel negotiations to arrange new peace talks were under way, comments from US President Donald Trump and the United Nations on Tuesday suggested there is support for Sharif’s push.