ISLAMABAD: Regardless of the political divide, the National Assembly on Wednesday joined the nation in celebrating the country’s historic success in brokering a successful ceasefire in the Middle East, paving the way for peace talks in Islamabad.
In view of the important role Pakistan is set to play in achieving durable peace in the region, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also postponed the opposition’s public rally on Thursday.
Chairing the proceedings, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said a very positive development had been witnessed in the form of US-Iran ceasefire. “I appreciate the commendable efforts of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir,” Sadiq said.
He also thanked the leadership of the US and Iran for engaging in negotiations.
He said Pakistan was extremely proud of its role in achieving this remarkable success observing that from the very outset of the conflict, Pakistan had emphasised dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward. “I would also like to commend professionalism and dedication of Pakistan’s diplomatic team in this regard,” he said.
He said the war was hurting the interests and prosperity of the Muslims adding that the Ummah must therefore join hands to ensure that the suffering of Muslims came to an end. He also wished and prayed for the success of Islamabad talks in the coming days.
“I hope and pray that with the cooperation of all parties concerned as well as our brotherly countries, we will be able to achieve the desired goal of lasting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond,” he said.
At this critical juncture, he requested continued support of the entire international community for these efforts.
Earlier, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Syed Aminul Haq met the opposition leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Barrister Gohar Ali, Aamir Dogar and other opposition members to convince them to postpone the public rally. Speaking in the House, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the international community and world leaders were praising Pakistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, after the successful mediation leading to a two-week ceasefire.
He said the historic diplomatic success was also achieved due to the harmony and best-ever coordination between the civil and military leadership of the country. He said that even inside India, it was being admitted that Pakistan had an upper hand over them in the last year’s conflict between the two nuclear states. “Our successes, particularly this historic achievement, have become our identity and symbolises our intentions and nation’s unity,” Asif said, adding that overseas Pakistanis all around the world were proud of being Pakistanis.
Asif said Pakistan had got an opportunity to prevent the expansion of Zionist influence across the world adding that both India and Israel were Pakistan’s enemies.
Mehmood Khan Achakzai said all the political parties were happy over Pakistan’s success. He said it was a matter of ego when Trump said he had achieved objectives from the war. He said all the important decisions of national interest should generate from parliament, which represented 250 million people of the country.
He said Pakistan’s historic diplomatic success was a divine opportunity which should be utilised for betterment of the people and safety of the national interests in future.
Veteran PPP parliamentarian, former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, agreed with the views of opposition leader that this golden opportunity should be utilised for national unity. “Some great diplomacy and hectic diplomatic efforts are behind the great success enjoyed by the country,” he said.
He recalled Iran was the first country which recognised Pakistan as an independent state in 1947, while Pakistan also had historic brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia. He also congratulated the opposition benches for forging unity in the House regardless of political differences. He called upon the nation to supplement the government’s austerity measures by preventing unnecessary activities. PTI-supported parliamentarian Ali Muhammad Khan said it was due to the national unity that India bit the dust at the hands of Pakistani security forces. “This time again the Pakistani nation rose to the occasion while rising above the political and sectarian differences,” he said.
Ali Muhammad said the opposition was ready to extend every possible cooperation to the government for the sake of country.
Another opposition member Sher Afzal Marwat said as delegations from the US and Iran would arrive in Islamabad for peace talks, the PTI leadership had decided to postpone its public meeting on Thursday (today).
Minister for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal termed the ceasefire a major diplomatic success of Pakistan. He emphasized the need to put the house in order to ensure sustainability of gains achieved on the external front.
Welcoming the ceasefire, Gohar Ali Khan commended everyone who played a role in securing the truce. He said Pakistan sought long-lasting peace in the Middle East and expressed the hope that the current ceasefire will become permanent. Minister for the Board of Investment Qaisar Ahmed Sheikh expressed confidence that the petroleum prices will decline and that there would be massive investment in Pakistan after the war in the Middle East was over. Qaisar further said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, and the US President Donald Trump should nominate them for the award.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly passed the Pakistan Infrastructure Development and Assets Management Authority Bill 2025 and Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The opposition leader, Achakzai, while saying that the incumbent government had failed to deliver since elections, called for the creation of a national government. He also called for consensus among politicians for supremacy and strengthening of Constitution and parliament. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif came to defend Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz when some opposition members criticised her for purchasing a new aircraft. He termed the allegations as misleading.
