Apr 09, 2026 15:47 pm IST

Opinion | How Iran Ceasefire Helps Pakistan Fix A 10-Year-Old 'Mess' With Saudi

In more ways than one, Pakistan has redeemed itself from a fallout it had with its Gulf patrons exactly a decade ago.

Aditi Bhaduri Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Aditi Bhaduri Columnist

Pakistan is basking in the glory of its diplomatic exploits. No matter how the 14-day truce between Iran and the US, put in place through Islamabad's midwifery, pans out, it is a major highlight in the country's chequered diplomatic trajectory - the first perhaps since 1971, when it helped then US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger reach out to China.

Early on Wednesday, as the world held its breath, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the two-week ceasefire between the warring parties. He also invited delegations from the US and Iran to Islamabad on Friday "to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes". The ceasefire itself establishes Pakistan as a key mediator on an extremely tricky terrain, coming as it did just hours after President Trump threatened that "an entire civilization will die tonight".

Pakistan Redeems Itself?

Glowing praise poured in for Pakistan from both Tehran and Washington. Trump credited Sharif and Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir for his decision to accept a ceasefire, while Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, thanked "my dear brothers HE Prime Minister of Pakistan Sharif and HE Field Marshal Munir for their tireless efforts to end the war in the region". Besides, China, Turkey and Egypt are all hailing Pakistan's efforts to diffuse an extraordinarily tense situation, which could be catastrophic.

The war may yet continue. But in more ways than one, Pakistan has redeemed itself from a fallout it had with its Gulf patrons exactly a decade ago.

Yemen's Civil War of 2015 drew the Gulf states in, forcing their direct military intervention on the side of the internationally recognised government of President Abdur Hadi Mansour against the Iran-backed Houthis. Pakistan, which had by then provided numerous military and policing services to Gulf monarchies in exchange for hefty grants and investments, dithered. Intense domestic opposition, coupled with fears of Sunni-Shia fault lines opening up inside the country, constrained the then........

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