The Middle East and the Gulf region are currently gripped by an extremely difficult and frightening period in history, over which the dangerous black clouds of war have gathered, and where the growing military and diplomatic tensions between Iran and the United States have kept the international community on edge, while the region itself is also facing security concerns.
In this grave situation, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is steering Pakistan’s role in the region as a messenger of peace and a neutral mediator.
In order to cool the sparks of war between the two countries and resolve issues through diplomacy, Pakistan has decided to draw on all of its military and conventional diplomacy, and as part of Pakistan’s peacemaking efforts, the Pakistani military leadership, particularly the Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, made an important and emergency visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on Tuesday.
Although this was his fourth visit to Iran, this visit came at a moment when the United States and Iran had begun issuing dangerous threats to each other and war could resume at any moment. Members of Iran’s highest leadership had clearly warned that if sanctions on Iran were tightened, if Iran’s oil could not be sold in the world, then not a single drop of oil would be able to leave through the Strait of Hormuz, and if neighboring countries sided with the United States in these harshest financial sanctions, their interests would also be targeted. Therefore, in order to cool this fire and, at the same time, create an environment for dialogue, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi apparently succeeded in persuading the Iranian leadership to agree to reducing tensions in the region, with positive and fruitful results expected to emerge soon. Indeed, during the visit and immediately afterward, clear signs of a reduction in tensions and of cooling the environment began to surface from both sides.
It should be noted that Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts are not limited merely to the individual level; rather, from the very beginning, Pakistan has emphasized developing a joint and comprehensive strategy together with its brotherly and close friendly countries in the Gulf region. As a result of these coordinated efforts, a 14-point diplomatic roadmap has been drawn up, which is now before both sides as a workable solution for ending their mutual tensions. This roadmap could prove to be an important milestone in ending the current crisis between Iran and the United States and clearing the path for lasting peace, and under it both sides have been encouraged to take steps that would end military provocation and allow constructive dialogue to begin at the negotiating table.
For Pakistan, establishing peace in the Gulf region is also a matter of safeguarding Pakistan’s interests and national security, because Pakistan is directly and deeply affected by any kind of tension or military action in the Gulf countries. Pakistan has deep historical, religious, and cultural ties with these countries, as well as strong trade and economic relations. Most importantly, millions of Pakistani citizens reside in the Gulf countries, who are a lifeline of Pakistan’s economy. More than approximately 1.7 million Pakistanis are currently employed in the United Arab Emirates, and the remittances they send play an extremely important role in keeping Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves stable. In the event of any possible war or unrest in the Gulf, the future and employment of these millions of Pakistanis could be placed at serious risk, the effects of which would be extremely devastating for Pakistan’s economy. This is why Pakistan appears most active in pursuing peace in the region.
During the recent tensions, the high degree of patience, restraint, and tolerance demonstrated by the Gulf countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates, is undoubtedly praiseworthy. These countries were directly targeted by air and missile attacks because of the presence of American bases, yet their leadership maintained a diplomatic approach instead of taking military retaliatory action and acted wisely. Had these countries grown provoked and launched retaliatory military actions, an endless cycle of attacks and counterattacks would have begun in the region, one impossible to control, and the entire region would have been engulfed in flames and once again reduced to a desert wasteland. The credit for this goes to Pakistan’s military and political leadership and its army chief, who, as a silent soldier, played an important role in reducing tensions through his full-fledged mediation efforts and persuaded the Gulf leadership to give constructive diplomacy a chance instead of retaliatory action.
The most sensitive point of this entire conflict is the restoration and safeguarding of open passage through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important trade routes, through which millions of barrels of oil are transported every day. During the visit of Pakistan’s military leadership to Iran, Oman and Iran issued a joint statement regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which is an extremely positive and immediate outcome of the Field Marshal’s diplomatic strategy and mediation efforts.
The rollout of extremely harsh and back-breaking economic sanctions on Iran by the United States, which began with the US-announced D-Day last night, is an attempt to financially paralyze Tehran. However, the hope is that the Gulf countries, contrary to America’s expectations in this matter, will adopt an extremely moderate and wise approach in the interest of the region. As the diplomatic channel provided by Pakistan becomes active and matters cool down, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries will, rather than backing these sanctions, begin to take a softer approach toward them so that the restoration of peace can be made possible and the intensity of the ongoing tensions in the region can be eased.
More than 3,690 active American companies are currently operating in the United Arab Emirates. If war breaks out between Iran and the United States and the Gulf region is targeted, the businesses and investments of these American companies will face grave risks, and this itself would be a major economic blow to the United States. This is why Pakistan’s leadership is repeatedly stressing that war is in no one’s interest, its economic effects capable of engulfing the entire world, and that diplomacy is the only path through which economic and trade interests can be protected.
International media, including Russian media outlets, are also giving prominent coverage to Pakistan’s diplomatic initiative and confirming that a major and positive diplomatic outcome is soon expected as a result of Pakistan’s peacemaking efforts. The efforts Pakistan has made to bring both sides to the negotiating table and save the region from a horrific catastrophe are now beginning to bear fruit. Although several challenges still remain, this diplomatic forum established by Pakistan is providing the most reliable and strongest foundation for taking Iran and the United States toward long-term peace. Pakistan has proved that it not only has the full capacity to protect its own interests but also to play its historic role as a responsible and influential Islamic state in safeguarding the peace of the entire region and the world, and undoubtedly this new standing in Pakistan’s image will visibly manifest itself in the coming days as positive effects across the country’s economy, politics, and diplomacy. And why should it not, because Pakistan recognizes that if this region is once again engulfed by war, all the Gulf countries could once again be turned into a desert.
