Apr 08, 2026 18:20 pm IST

Opinion | The 'Munir Doctrine' That Drove Pak's US-Iran Brokering Project

The spate of calls, social media messaging, and diplomatic efforts from Pakistan in recent weeks, especially involving PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, raises many questions.

Aishwaria Sonavane Aishwaria Sonavane Columnist

Aishwaria Sonavane Columnist

Pakistan's re-emergence as a diplomatic conduit in the ongoing West Asian conflict nudges us to revisit an age-old question: Who really conducts Pakistan's foreign policy? The spate of calls, social media messaging, and diplomatic signals coming from Pakistan in recent weeks, especially involving Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, offers a window into the country's prevailing civil-military dynamics. 

When Yahya Khan Mediated Between US And China

In 1971, former US President Richard Nixon persuaded General Yahya Khan to secretly mediate between China and the US - the channel through which Henry Kissinger met with Mao Zedong. Its architecture was similar to the present circumstances, where a civilian government held the official line, with the military managing the geometry of negotiations. Pakistan's dual-track foreign policy can also be traced to the erstwhile Soviet Union and Afghan war, where the government under Zia-ul-Haq coordinated with the US and Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan's security establishment, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was covertly arming the Afghan mujahideen. 

In the current scenario, Pakistan relayed proposals between Iran and the US, including a 15-point plan from Washington and a 10-point plan from Iran. Tehran has now agreed to a two-week ceasefire with the US, with its National Security........

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