The Islamabad Bridge |
SHARIF’S approach was old school diplomacy with a modern clock. On March 29 he brought the foreign ministers of Turkeye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to Islamabad and kept Beijing in the loop the same evening.
Within days, Dar, his Deputy and Foreign Minister, could tell the press that both the United States and Iran had agreed to let Pakistan host. When Iranian missiles hit bases in the Gulf a week later, most mediators would have walked away. Sharif sent fresh proposals instead.
On 11 April he was at Nur Khan Air Base to receive Vice President JD Vance and his office made sure a technical plan for Hormuz transit fees landed on the right desk in Washington before sunset. For Sharif this is not about prestige. A full war means refugees on the Quetta highway, fuel riots in Lahore and sectarian tension that no speech can calm. He........