Islamabad, Apr 23: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday met US Charge d’Affaires to Pakistan, Natalie Baker and discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to hold a second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad, according to an official statement.
The meeting comes amid stepped-up diplomatic engagements aimed at bringing Tehran and Washington to the negotiating table, possibly by the weekend.
Naqvi and Baker held an “important meeting” during which they exchanged detailed views on the latest regional situation and discussed diplomatic efforts related to the proposed second round of peace talks, the interior ministry said in a statement.
Naqvi welcomed US President Donald Trump’s initiative to extend the ceasefire, calling it a “welcome development” that made significant progress towards reducing tensions.
“We also hope for positive progress from Iran’s side,” the minister said.
Naqvi and Baker emphasised the need to maintain diplomatic channels for a lasting resolution to the West Asia conflict.
According to the statement, Naqvi told Baker that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir were making “all-out efforts at every level” to facilitate a peaceful outcome.
“It is hoped that both parties will give a chance to a diplomatic and peaceful solution,” the minister said.
The meeting, the second between the two this week, took place amid uncertainty over the talks, with Islamabad under tight security for the proposed engagement.
On Monday, Naqvi held separate meetings with Baker and Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam, to discuss arrangements for the second round of Islamabad Talks.
Trump on Wednesday extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely at the request of Pakistan to give Tehran’s leadership more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war. The dramatic announcement came just hours before the two-week ceasefire was set to expire.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran has not issued any official statement confirming its agreement to extend the ceasefire.
Pakistan had urged an extension of the truce due to uncertainty surrounding the second round of talks. There was still no clarity on the date of the next round of talks.
On Wednesday, The New York Post quoted President Trump as saying that the second round of the US-Iran talks could take place as early as Friday.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran has not yet decided whether to attend a new round of Pakistani-mediated talks in Islamabad.
Pakistan has taken elaborate security measures, including deploying more than 10,000 security personnel, in preparation for the proposed talks.
The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue.
The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes. (PTI)
