Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach on Middle East rebuffed and rejected , fall with a thud

JK News Today Commentary

When President Trump posted an expletive laden warning to Iran , and Iran snubbed it with a counter threat , this also was an end to the illusion that Pakistan had positioned itself as a mediator-cum peacemaker. This was a big fall with thud from the high position that Islamabad had sought to dream to fish in the troubled waters . It had to be because when you seek a role far larger than your shoes , the fall is imminent.
It was in the wake of Donald Trump’s extension of five days in March 23 asking Iran to strike a deal as he also stated that the talks with Iran were underway , Pakistan stepped in and claimed to be holding negotiations with Iran and the US to end the conflict that had raged on since February 28 , starting with American-Israeli strikes against Iran , killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders .
The very chronology of the death and destruction has continued since then , shows Pakistan’s role has worked in reverse to its stated objectives of bringing a halt to the conflict through its mediatory role . Now , it is time for all the western media enamored of Islamabad to have a. relook at seeing hope and promise in this effort which was never there.
What had given credence to Pakistan’s role was when it forwarded 15-point peace plan of the United States to Iran . The plan was a sort of dictation to Iran to sign on the dotted lines , to give up its sovereignty and in return could hope for some crumbs . Iran not only rejected the plan but also tole the US nothing doing .
In the meantime , Pakistan hosted a meeting of the top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey , Egypt , to work out a plan for providing way out for the warring parties to reach an agreement. This was another illusion as how could it hope that the US which was looking at the end of the conflict on its terms accept plan that could have suggested treating Iran as equal . The war raged on .
To gain some credibility and to escape world-wide embarrassment , Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar flew to Beijing and got a five-point peace plan to end the hostilities . That was a self-defeating exercise , showing that all its claims of holding talks with the US and Iran to end the conflict were fake. It was also rejection of 15-point US plan as it supplanted Washington plan with the Beijing’s patronage .
The initiative read :
I. Immediate Cessation of Hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.

II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.

III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.

IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.

V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the U.N., and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law.

Now it is clear that the US did not pay any heed to this plan, nor did Iran , despite Tehran having good ties with China And as we have seen that the war has escalated since this plan was out . It is failure of Pakistan .

All the theories woven to show Pakistan as a new geopolitical diplomatic power in South Asia through its role in the Middle-East have come to a naught . Now it is struggling to find an exit route as its diplomatic outreach has been snubbed by the warring parties .

Worse was that Pakistan attempted to showcase itself as a bigger power than India in this arena , citing that India’s friendship with Israel was becoming a liability as Delhi could not play the role that Islamabad had started playing .to ease tensions in the Middle-East. Now , to use a crude phrase , it has egg on its face .

( The author is expert on international relations and policy analyst for South Asia developments , and has four books to his credit, including “ Eyewitness Kashmir: Teetering on Nuclear War”.)