The US-Israel-Iran ceasefire marks a diplomatic triumph for Pakistan, which was until recently a Western pariah.
Islamabad — which faced crippling fuel shortages as a result of the strangling of the Strait of Hormuz — was a central mediator between the warring parties, and, alongside other nations, proposed peace initiatives, hosted talks, and passed messages to facilitate the truce. The effort was surprising, given successive US administrations froze it out over its alleged support for militant groups, accusations Pakistan repeatedly denied.
The transformation was a result of “deft diplomacy” as well as “flattery as foreign policy,” an expert on Pakistan’s military told The New Yorker. Longtime rival India, meanwhile, is worried of being sidelined in global diplomacy as a result.