Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has emerged as an unexpected yet central peace mediator in the US-Iran conflict.
The COAS traveled to Tehran, met the Iranian foreign minister, and led last-ditch efforts to revive stalled negotiations between the United States and Iran, reported the British newspaper The Guardian.
The Guardian reported that Pakistan emerged as an unexpected diplomatic bridge, where Asim Munir helped build trust between the two leaderships through direct contacts, phone calls, and mediation. Oversight of negotiations from Rawalpindi, Munir’s role as a third party, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia reflect Pakistan’s coordinated strategy, it added.
Without Asim Munir, this diplomatic process would not have been possible, remarked former Pakistan ambassador to the USA, Maleeha Lodhi.
She said that Field Marshal Asim Munir is the main driving force behind this process and that, without him, it would not have been possible, while the Foreign Office played a secondary role.
International affairs expert Mohammad Mehdi said it was a collective effort, with many individuals in both the government and the military playing key roles. While the Field Marshal has been at the forefront, it remains a collective effort, he added. He said the success of these negotiations could be seen as a personal achievement for Field Marshal Asim Munir, while also positioning Pakistan’s influence as a credible diplomatic channel internationally.
“It is not appropriate to give full credit for the broad diplomatic campaign to any one individual,” said analyst Avinash Paliwal.
Furthermore, the restoration of relations with Iran, securing regional support, and expertise in personality-driven diplomacy have made Syed Asim Munir a reliable mediator, the newspaper said.