The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
This study did not require formal ethics approval.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article.
The authors received no specific funding for this work.
The diplomatic vacuum created by the conflict between the US and Iran on 28 February was a shock to the world, and no state was ready to fill that vacuum without the loss of its credibility. At this critical moment, Pakistan, a country having good relations with both states, came forward and successfully brokered a two-week ceasefire, announced on 8 April 2026, following weeks of devastating military confrontation. Pakistan officially hosted the US and Iran in Islamabad on 11 April 2026, which marked the first direct talks between the two states in 47 years. This paper analyses Pakistan’s mediating role in a major twenty-first-century geopolitical conflict, examining its historical background and dynamics. The strategies used by Pakistan and the institutional development in Pakistan regarding mediation, particularly the International Mediation and Arbitration Centre and the ADR reforms, support Pakistan’s expanding role in domestic and international dispute resolution.
The diplomatic vacuum created by the conflict between the US and Iran on 28 February was a shock to the world, and no state was ready to fill that vacuum without the loss of its credibility. At this critical moment, Pakistan, a country having good relations with both states, came forward and successfully brokered a two-week ceasefire, announced on 8 April 2026, following weeks of devastating military confrontation. Pakistan officially hosted the US and Iran in Islamabad on 11 April 2026, which marked the first direct talks between the two states in 47 years. This paper analyses Pakistan’s mediating role in a major twenty-first-century geopolitical conflict, examining its historical background and dynamics. The strategies used by Pakistan and the institutional development in Pakistan regarding mediation, particularly the International Mediation and Arbitration Centre and the ADR reforms, support Pakistan’s expanding role in domestic and international dispute resolution.
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
This study did not require formal ethics approval.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article.