Kamal Ghorui
Pakistan on Saturday dismissed media reports claiming that its efforts to facilitate talks between the United States and Iran to resolve the ongoing West Asia conflict had run into hurdles following an initial exchange of peace proposals.“We have noted several reports in the media, including on social media, citing so-called official government sources regarding the ongoing conflict in the region and Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and dialogue,” foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, PTI reported. “We categorically reject these false insinuations attributed to purported official sources as baseless and a figment of imagination. Any attribution to official sources in this regard is incorrect,” he added.The Dawn newspaper had reported that, according to an unnamed official, some progress had been made with messages exchanged between Washington and Tehran, but the lack of a clear response from Iran has slowed momentum at this crucial stage.Pakistan moved quickly after the conflict began, driven in part by its obligation to defend Saudi Arabia in the event of an Iranian attack. While it has so far been unable to broker a ceasefire, it has managed to stay out of direct involvement in the war. The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior commanders. In response, Iran expanded its retaliation across the Gulf region, with the conflict significantly disrupting energy supply chains, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.
