A delegation from Iran is set to arrive in Islamabad late on Thursday night for a high-stake dialogue with the US, which will be held under tight security.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, confirmed the visit, saying the team would engage in “serious talks based on 10 points proposed by Iran,” while noting scepticism at home over what he described as “repeated ceasefire violations by Israeli regime to sabotage the diplomatic initiative”, referencing the ongoing Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The talks, convened at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, come amid a highly fragile moment, as the ceasefire, while holding is all but hanging by a threat, with strong tensions simmering on both sides. For Islamabad, the meeting represents both a diplomatic opportunity and a security challenge.
Authorities have transformed large parts of the capital into a military-controlled zone ahead of the negotiations, with hundreds of additional police and paramilitary personnel being deployed, while key roads leading to the Red Zone – home to government offices and foreign embassies – have been blocked with shipping containers.
Access to the area is tightly restricted, and a hotel designated for the delegations has been placed under heavy guard.
The impact is visible across the city, as traffic was greatly subdued all across Islamabad, as many residents opted to stay indoors due to heavy security deployment, and the traffic disruptions, stopping the daily commuting between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The heightened precautions come in wake of the increased volatility surrounding the conflict, as mass protests erupted in March across Pakistan, in response to the combined US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which left more than two dozen people dead. In Karachi, Shiite demonstrators stormed the US consulate, resulting in 12 fatalities during clashes that further raised concerns about security ahead of any diplomatic engagement.
