Pakistan's diplomatic heist |
Just a few months into his diplomatic assignment in Islamabad, an Indian diplomat once confided something rather unusual. Reflecting on his early days in Pakistan, he said there was something "mysterious" about the country. He could not quite define it, nor fully understand it. Yet, he was convinced that this very "mysteriousness" carried within it the potential to spring surprises.
That conversation has stayed with me over the years. It often resurfaces at moments when Pakistan, against all odds, reappears on the global stage in unexpected ways. Today, as the war between US-Israel and Iran enters its second month, that sense of mystery seems more relevant than ever.
What is truly astonishing is the centrality Pakistan has acquired in a conflict that many fear carries the ingredients of a wider global war. For a country often perceived through the narrow lens of regional instability, Islamabad has quietly positioned itself at the heart of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at de-escalation.
Pakistanis, admittedly,........