Pakistan’s kept peace process alive despite ‘spoilers’ attempts to sabotage peace deal: Dar

• DPM/FM Dar claims Bürgenstock negotiations could have begun earlier but Israel’s Lebanon bombing stalled momentum

• Claims ‘spoilers’ sought to derail breakthrough after Islamabad-facilitated MoU

• Reveals talks entered phase two with working groups on nuclear, sanctions and Lebanon issues

• Says first direct US-Iran dialogue in 47 years held in Islamabad lasted 21 hours

• Agreement envisages fee-free navigation through Strait of Hormuz and phased implementation

• Pakistan made over 150 diplomatic contacts, helped establish R4 forum to support peace efforts

 ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said the Bürgenstock talks between the United States and Iran could have commenced several days earlier, but Israel’s attack on Lebanon derailed the diplomatic momentum and temporarily halted progress, asserting that Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic efforts ultimately succeeded in bringing the two sides to the negotiating table despite attempts by “spoilers” to sabotage the peace process.

“Heavy bombing in Lebanon immediately following the signing of the MoU was a clear provocation by spoilers intending to make the parties pause,” Dar said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.

He emphasized that negotiations in Switzerland could have begun earlier had the attack not disrupted the diplomatic trajectory.

The foreign minister said the talks in Bürgenstock represented the second phase of a broader diplomatic process and involved three technical working groups focusing on Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions and the unfreezing of assets, and the situation in Lebanon.

Dar told the interviewer that the diplomatic breakthrough followed an intensive 21-hour marathon session of direct talks between the United States and Iran held in Islamabad on April 10 and 11, marking the first direct dialogue between the two countries in 47 years.

He said the framework agreed by the parties established a 30-day timeline for completing specific technical matters and a 60-day overall timeframe for finalizing the bulk of a comprehensive agreement, with provisions for extension through mutual consent.

“It is a very well-thought-out document, acceptable to both the parties,” he remarked.

Dar said a key component of the understanding guaranteed the unhindered resumption of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating Pakistan’s position that conditions should fully return to the status quo that existed before February 28, when the conflict began.

“Our understanding is that there should be nothing—no government interference, no fees, no tolls, and no service charges,” he stated, adding that a common five-point proposal he had previously discussed with the Foreign Minister of China in Beijing, along with subsequent statements from the White House, supported the concept of a fee-free transit zone.

Highlighting the economic repercussions of the conflict, Dar said disruptions to global energy supply chains had fueled inflationary pressures worldwide and resulted in an estimated loss of 20 to 25 percent of global GDP.

He noted that Pakistan was also significantly affected, prompting the government to provide billions of rupees in temporary subsidies before passing the relief directly on to consumers as international energy prices stabilized.

“We have seen already the dividends of this peace,” he said. “The prices of energy have come down, and ships have started moving.”

Reflecting on the scale of diplomatic engagement undertaken by Pakistan, Dar said that while he had spoken with counterparts in 61 countries during the Pakistan-India conflict last year, he had engaged in more than 150 diplomatic communications since February 28 in efforts to help resolve the US-Iran crisis.

The deputy prime minister said Pakistan remained closely engaged with regional and international partners throughout the process, leading to the establishment of the “R4” consultative forum comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, while also coordinating closely with Gulf countries, including Qatar, as well as international stakeholders such as China and the European Union.

Dar further said that during recent ministerial consultations, Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia agreed to reactivate the Group of Eight Arab-Islamic countries to renew focus on the Gaza-Palestine issue and the situation in the West Bank, which had been overshadowed by the urgency of the US-Iran crisis.