Pakistan’s military is cautiously optimistic about ongoing diplomatic efforts to revive a ceasefire in the eight-month-old Iran-United States conflict, though armed forces leadership has warned that influential actors continue working to derail the peace process.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, stated on Friday that recent high-level diplomatic missions to Tehran pointed toward positive momentum. Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has traveled to the Iranian capital twice this month in a bid to broker a de-escalation between Washington and Tehran, most recently on Monday alongside Saudi and Turkish counterparts.
“Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” Chaudhry told Reuters in Rawalpindi, adding that the military describes its current assessment as “cautiously optimistic.” At the same time, the military spokesman cautioned that “powerful spoilers and detractors” still believe the continuation of the war serves their strategic interests.
The diplomatic push coincides with separate mediation efforts by Qatari mediators who arrived in Tehran in an apparent attempt to resurrect a collapsed June ceasefire.
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement and Regional Alignment
Field Marshal Munir’s diplomatic missions have drawn increased international attention due to a collective security pact signed on August 7. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin joined the Pakistani army chief in Tehran on Monday, reinforcing a trilateral defense framework where an attack on any single signatory is treated as an attack on all.
While the three governments maintain that the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement is designed strictly for collective deterrence and regional stability, analysts view the pact as a primary vehicle for regional powers attempting to contain the fallout from the Iran-US confrontation. Following Monday’s discussions, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, asserted that regional security should be ensured by regional countries without foreign intervention.
When asked whether Iran could potentially join the defense pact, Chaudhry noted that the agreement’s wording does not exclude new members. “Anyone who has a shared vision of collective deterrence and regional peace, why not? Everyone is most welcome,” he said, emphasizing that any expansion remains a decision for the political leadership of the three principal parties.
Regarding potential military deployments under the pact, Chaudhry stated that any decision to send additional Pakistani troops to Saudi Arabia would depend on the situation and the decision of both countries’ political leadership. He reiterated Pakistan’s firm commitment to defending Saudi Arabia and the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, while clarifying Islamabad’s stance on peripheral conflicts. “We are not part of the Yemeni conflict, which is an intra-Yemen conflict,” Chaudhry said, addressing fighting between Riyadh and the Iran-aligned Houthi group that has reignited amid the broader regional war.
Domestic Security and Counter-Terrorism Operations
Alongside regional mediation efforts, the military spokesman addressed domestic security challenges, including the federal government’s October 11 suspension of the provincial administration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The provincial government was led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
Federal authorities justified the suspension by accusing the provincial administration of failing to tackle militancy. The PTI rejected the allegations, maintaining that its local government actively participated in counter-terrorism initiatives and characterizing the federal intervention as a political move.
