Pakistan has no interest in “headline diplomacy” and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir’s sole aim in a U.S.-Iran deal was achieving regional “peace and stability,” security sources said on Tuesday.
Islamabad has been credited with mediating a Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran to end the war that commenced on Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The deal is to be signed in Geneva on Friday, with both Pakistan and Qatar serving as witnesses.
In a briefing to journalists, security officials said Pakistan has been handling the Iran-U.S. issue as a “highly complex matter.” Islamabad, they said, has fulfilled all requirements of being a mediator in the conflict. “We are not interested in headline diplomacy,” they continued, maintaining the world was gradually recognizing the role Islamabad had played. “The mediation efforts undertaken by the country’s political and military leadership were not aimed at achieving any limited objective,” they added.
They also credited Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt and the U.A.E. for their de-escalation efforts. They said Pakistan’s separate ties with all stakeholders had enabled it to engage them and help achieve a peace deal. They noted that if the deal was not achieved, the conflict could have had “severe” repercussions for the region.
The officials, however, warned of “actors” seeking to spoil the agreement, noting Israel continued to dominate the international media.
According to the sources, the field marshal played a significant role in the diplomatic process. “Through sincerity, professional competence, wisdom, and the grace of God, Field Marshal Asim Munir played a key role in saving the region from a major confrontation,” they said, adding it was “a success achieved without fighting a war and a reflection of the highest level of strategic thinking.”
The sources also discouraged speculation, maintaining that as a “responsible mediator” Pakistan’s efforts required confidentiality and caution.
Senior security officials said military diplomacy and ties with friendly countries should be viewed within the broader context of national interests and strategic engagement. “Relations with friendly countries cannot be viewed through a narrow lens. They are part of broader diplomatic strategy and national interests,” they said, emphasizing that Pakistan’s diplomacy was independent.
Foreign affairs
On recent remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding India’s involvement in the Chabahar Port, the sources said every country pursued its own interests. “Every state has its own interests. We have no reason to be concerned about who meets whom,” they said.
The sources also described Pakistan’s ties with China as exceptionally strong. “In the past, it was said that relations with China were sweeter than honey, higher than the Himalayas and stronger than iron. Today, we say Pakistan’s relationship with China has become stronger than platinum,” they said. “We have our own relations with the United States. We also enjoy sincere relations with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran,” they added.
On Afghanistan, the sources said Pakistan had repeatedly engaged with the interim government to secure an end to terrorism and restore normalcy in ties. “We have engaged extensively with the Afghan government, but each time the issue returns to terrorism,” they said, adding the current tougher approach was a result of ongoing security concerns.
“In Afghanistan, there is talk of dialogue on one hand and terrorism on the other. That is why we have adopted a hard approach,” they said, claiming over 32,000 operations had been conducted until June 15. “A total of 1,861 terrorists were killed, including 991 inside Pakistan and 862 inside Afghanistan,” they said, sharing that 74% of 2,170 operations were conducted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 34% in Balochistan.
“An average of 10.3 terrorists were killed daily, while 640 Pakistanis embraced martyrdom,” they said, asserting that precision strikes were used in Afghanistan to avoid civilian casualties.
Kashmir dispute
Regarding Kashmir, the sources said the people of India-held Kashmir were pursuing their own movement. “We have fought five wars with India over Kashmir. The people of occupied Kashmir are running their own movement,” they said, claiming Kashmiris remained dissatisfied with Indian rule.
“They cannot remove the love for Pakistan from the hearts of Kashmiris,” they claimed.
Referring to Pakistan’s water disputes with India, especially after the latter unilaterally suspended the Indus Water Treaty, the sources said Pakistan had various options at its disposal and would act in accordance with government directives. “India should not test our resolve,” they warned, adding any attempt to impede Pakistan’s water rights would trigger a response.
They said Pakistan would continue to defend the decisions taken by the National Security Committee in 2025 and remained committed to the Indus Waters Treaty.
Discussing the situation in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, security officials the government had asked shopkeepers to reopen businesses but members of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had blocked roads and threatened anyone attempting to do so.
“Every moment JAAC is becoming more exposed,” they claimed, adding the matter would be dealt with according to the Constitution.
The sources also defended the 17% increase to the defense budget for FY27, claiming prevailing security challenges and modern warfare requirements meant this was still “low” and both the military and political leadership were aware of this.
During the briefing, the sources were questioned on a meeting between former Prime Minister Imran Khan and a former Army chief. Reiterating the military has no role in politics, they maintained politicians should resolve their issues themselves.
“When some individuals become irrelevant, such reports begin to surface,” they claimed.
Improving conditions
The sources rejected reports the United Arab Emirates was involved in any conspiracy against Pakistan, specifically citing the unrest in Balochistan. They maintained the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was backed by India, adding this is why it was referred to as Fitna al-Hindustan.
They alleged terrorist groups and hostile elements exploited social media and rights-based narratives to create unrest and emphasized that security conditions in Balochistan had improved significantly.
“More than 24,700 operations have been conducted in Balochistan. The situation has improved considerably, and people are benefiting from mineral resources,” they claimed.
On the prolonged—and ongoing—May 9, 2023 cases, the sources maintained the legal proceedings would continue regardless of delays. “Even if individuals are absconding, the law will take its course. Once they are arrested, the process of punishment will begin,” they claimed. “The May 9 case belongs to Pakistan, not the Army. Wait and see; the matter will reach its conclusion,” they said.