Islamabad, March 24 Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Islamabad was "ready and willing" to facilitate "meaningful and conclusive talks" between the US and Iran to end the ongoing conflict.
The announcement came after media reports about Pakistan, along with Egypt and Turkey, making behind-the-scenes efforts to broker peace in West Asia.
"Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the war in the Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in the region and beyond," Sharif said in a post on X.
"Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and willing to host meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict," he added.
Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) responding to media queries urged to avoid speculation and await official announcements about the venue for talks between the US and Iranian representatives.
"Pakistan, consistent with its longstanding policy, remains committed to resolving the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf through diplomatic means and engagement," FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said.
"Diplomacy and negotiations often require that certain matters be advanced with discretion. The media is therefore encouraged to refrain from speculation and to await official announcements regarding decisions and outcomes," he said.
Various international media outlets were reporting about Islamabad being the possible venue for talks as the war entered its fourth week.
Starting February 28, the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, which resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The joint strikes came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.
Iran's retaliation escalated the war to the entire Gulf region.
