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Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri questioned Islamabad's credibility as a mediator amid rising geopolitical complexity in West Asia and noted how a fragile ceasefire remains in place as the United States and Iran are yet to conclude the peace talks.
In a conversation with ANI over the evolving situation in West Asia and the Gulf region, Sikri termed the ceasefire "very fragile" and noted how there has been inconsistency on the arrival of its timeline. "It is a very fragile ceasefire. On one hand, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been saying over the past few days that it will happen within hours or days, but it did not materialise. Iran, too, has maintained that nothing is imminent as they continue to face issues. Even now, President Trump is suggesting that things are almost finalised." She noted how the recent remarks by Trump pushing for the countries in the region to join the Abraham Accords have further complicated the equation, and that Pakistan is now in a quagmire with recent developments in place. "There is also the issue of the Abraham Accords being brought into the discussion by Trump... This has added further complications. Pakistan, in particular, has stated through its Defence Minister that it cannot accept the Abraham Accords until a separate, independent Palestinian state is established." Noting how there is a doubtfulness about the conclusion of the peace deal, she questioned Islamabad's intentions and added, "Pakistan's position as a reliable peace negotiator was thrown in doubt because of the news of Iranian planes being parked on Pakistani soil and the presence of American assets there. Pakistan is also sending troops and aircraft to Saudi Arabia as part of their bilateral defence agreement. So it is not a situation where one can say that Pakistan is really playing the role of a mediator". Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has also raised questions over Pakistan's neutrality as a mediator between the US and Iran in the ceasefire talks, citing Islamabad's "animosity" towards Israel, as he termed their role as "problematic". This development comes after Trump pushed for several Muslim and Arab nations to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional settlement tied to the potential deal with Tehran, while noting that the negotiations with the Islamic Republic were "proceeding nicely." In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the proposed arrangement could become a "Historic Event" for the Middle East and called on countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain to simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords. "Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or no Deal at all," Trump wrote, warning that failure to reach an agreement could mean "Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before." The Abraham Accords are a landmark US-mediated agreement signed in 2020 that led to the normalisation of diplomatic, economic, and security ties between Israel and multiple Arab countries. Political signals from Washington have fluctuated between optimistic diplomacy and hard deterrence. President Trump, in recent days, has suggested the sides are nearing a potential breakthrough in their high-stakes negotiations aimed at securing a broader agreement with Tehran. However, that assessment has met with significant pushback from the Iranian leadership. Iranian officials have publicly rejected claims that a deal is imminent, pointing to unresolved friction between the two nations. (ANI)
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