US-Iran Peace Talks Begin in Islamabad Amid Af-Pak Non-Escalation Pause

Direct US-Iran peace talks began in Islamabad on April 11, with the Af-Pak conflict in a fragile non-escalation pause. US Vice President JD Vance led the American delegation alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf represented Tehran. The talks were made possible by Pakistan's mediation over preceding weeks. For the Af-Pak conflict context, Pakistan's hosting of these high-stakes negotiations underscored the global realignment underway: Islamabad was simultaneously managing ceasefire diplomacy with the Afghan Taliban (next Urumqi round scheduled for end of April) and high-stakes nuclear diplomacy between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan's military leadership under Field Marshal Asim Munir positioned the country as an indispensable South Asian and Islamic world mediator — even while its forces maintained operational posture along the Afghan border. Afghan officials privately noted concern that Pakistan's global diplomatic ambitions could distract from its commitment to the scheduled second Urumqi round.