‘Only Pak can play the kind of role’: Tharoor’s swipe at Islamabad over Iran-US mediation | India News
New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday lashed out at Islamabad as it mediates talks between Iran and the US, alleging that Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz SharifIts ex post was drafted by Washington.Talking to reporters, Tharoor said, ‘Do you know what kind of relationship Pakistan has with Washington… There are allegations that Washington wrote that tweet for Pakistan’s Prime Minister because it was titled, “Draft for Pakistan’s Prime Minister.”
“If you and I write something for the Indian Prime Minister, do we write ‘Draft for the Prime Minister of India’ on it? And the language that was used was also the language of Washington. Also, some of the phrases were similar to the words used by Donald Trump a few hours ago. Only Pakistan can play the kind of role it has played with Washington,” he added.It comes days after Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif posted a “draft” message about the Iran conflict on his official X account before quickly editing it. The post called for a two-week cease-fire and diplomatic pause, and came as the United States and Iran moved toward a temporary truce.In both versions, Sharif urged Donald Trump to extend the deadline for military action by two weeks to allow talks to progress. He appealed to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for the same period, describing it as a goodwill gesture. “We call on all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks,” the post read, making the pause essential for “long-term peace and stability in the region”.Within hours, Washington and Tehran confirmed they had agreed to a two-week ceasefire, pulling back from the brink of a major escalation.The development follows a dramatic reversal by Trump, who had previously threatened a massive attack on Iran’s infrastructure if Tehran failed to meet its demands. Instead, he called off the planned attack shortly before his own deadline, saying the decision was based on conversations with Sharif and Pakistan’s military leadership. “The two-week deadline will allow the deal to be finalized,” Trump said, hinting at cautious optimism.Meanwhile, delegations from the United States and Iran arrived in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Saturday to hold peace talks over the ongoing war in the Middle East. The 71-member Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf and including the country’s top diplomat Abbas Aragchi, landed in the Pakistani capital earlier in the day. Where the US ambassador to the Middle East, Steve Wittkoff, arrived at noon with Jared Kushner. The US delegation is led by US Vice President JD Vance.
