ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs was on Monday informed that Pakistan continued to remain engaged in efforts to build trust and bridge differences between Iran and the United States, while urging all sides to resume negotiations for implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The committee was informed that the Iran-US conflict had serious repercussions for the global economy, with countries in the Global South facing particular challenges due to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Agha Shazaib Durrani, reviewed a range of important foreign policy and diplomatic matters, including appointments and absorptions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s mediatory role in the Iran-US conflict, the president’s visit to Kyrgyzstan and the anti-immigrant crisis in South Africa.
The committee was briefed on Pakistan’s leading role in mediating between Iran and the United States during the conflict, with officials highlighting Islamabad’s efforts to promote restraint, dialogue and diplomacy at a critical juncture. The committee lauded Pakistan’s positive role and leadership in stepping forward as a lead mediator, with the stated objective of creating space for dialogue and preventing further escalation. Its facilitation efforts contributed to an initial ceasefire on April 8, which was described as an important demonstration of the ability of persistent and principled diplomacy to create room for engagement despite deep disagreements and uncertainty.
The subsequent Islamabad talks, hosted on April 10-11, were made possible through Pakistan’s sustained engagement with both sides. The talks brought the United States and Iran to the negotiating table for the first time in 47 years, marking a significant diplomatic development. The initial ceasefire, the Islamabad talks and subsequent extensions of the ceasefire created a window for sustained diplomatic engagement. Through continued leadership-level contacts, Pakistan encouraged a peaceful settlement of the dispute, facilitated the exchange of messages between the two sides and worked to create conditions for meaningful and result-oriented negotiations. The culmination of these efforts came with the signing of the historic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 18 by the presidents of the United States and Iran, with Pakistan endorsing the document in its capacity as mediator.
The committee was informed that the Islamabad MoU represented a landmark development in Pakistan’s diplomatic history. As a follow-up to the agreement, Pakistan, together with Qatar, hosted high-level technical talks in Burgenstock, Switzerland. The talks were attended by the prime minister of Pakistan as well as high-level delegations from Iran and the United States. The first high-level committee meeting held under the framework of the Islamabad MoU concluded with the issuance of a joint statement by Pakistan and Qatar. The statement set out technical mechanisms for implementation of the agreement. The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz had heightened concerns over energy supplies and food security, while its economic impact was also being felt directly in Pakistan. Pakistan had called for the early normalisation of the situation in Hormuz and stressed the need to ensure the safety and security of maritime traffic.
The committee was told that, building on its mediation efforts, Pakistan intended to continue playing a constructive role in the ongoing Iran-US conflict. The stated objective remained “unwavering and unambiguous: a lasting peace in the region”.
The committee also reviewed the president’s visit to Kyrgyzstan and assessed its potential to provide a political and strategic framework for a more structured Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan partnership. The visit was described as politically successful and strategically useful, with its significance extending beyond the number of agreements signed. The assessment focused on convergence between the two countries around three interconnected objectives: expanding bilateral trade and investment, establishing practical connectivity between Central Asia and Pakistani ports, and developing energy and institutional cooperation. Particular importance was attached to translating the political understanding achieved during the visit into tangible economic outcomes.
The $200 million bilateral trade target, connectivity through the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), links with Pakistani ports, cooperation under Casa-1000, banking links and business-to-business mechanisms were identified as key areas requiring sustained follow-up.
The committee noted that implementation would be the principal test of the visit’s success. The credibility of the bilateral framework would ultimately depend on whether the two countries could convert these commitments into measurable commercial and economic outcomes. The visit therefore provided the political framework for a stronger Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relationship, while sustained intergovernmental coordination and greater private-sector engagement would determine whether that framework developed into a substantive strategic partnership.
The committee also took up the provision of additional details in relation to Starred Question No 24 of Senator Danesh Kumar, which was referred by the House on December 19, 2024. The question concerns the names, designations, grades and places of domicile of officers and officials appointed on deputation and subsequently absorbed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the last five years, as well as details of ad hoc and temporary appointments made during the period.
The committee was given a detailed briefing on the appointments, the criteria adopted for induction and the quota-wise distribution of seats. Officials informed the committee that appointments on deputation were not made through the quota system. The briefing, however, raised concerns among committee members over the absorption of personnel from fields considered unrelated to the core requirements of the Foreign Service. The committee sought a comprehensive tabulated record of the total strength of such officers and officials, including their dates and times of appointment, details of absorption and the criteria under which each appointment and absorption was made.
The committee considered a report on the anti-immigrant crisis in South Africa. The matter was taken up as part of the committee’s broader review of issues affecting Pakistanis and Pakistan’s diplomatic interests abroad. It was briefed that no loss of life had been reported during the riots. However, the Pakistani high commissioner informed the committee that the four Pakistanis killed in South Africa had been targeted due to a personal dispute. He said the incident had occurred at a location where such an event was considered unlikely, adding that local authorities were investigating the matter.
The HC revealed that a contract-killing plot had emerged in connection with the incident. He pointed to the presence of criminal elements within the Pakistani community in South Africa, saying that, in some cases, Pakistanis were having each other killed through gangs.
