Firm on principles

A background briefing given by the security sources to journalists on Tuesday confirmed, once again that Pakistan will continue to uphold principles and national interests in the realm of diplomacy, Kashmir issue, ongoing unrest in Azad Kashmir, relations with Afghanistan and in tackling the menace of terrorism. For understandable reasons, they maintained the highest level of secrecy vis-à-vis contents of the agreement digitally signed by the United States and Iran to end the conflict in the Gulf as well as future negotiations but highlighted that Pakistan’s consistent and sincere efforts not only brought the military hostilities to a halt but also prevented a potentially devastating regional conflict among Muslim countries, which could have presented serious challenges to the unity of the Ummah. The remarks of the sources carry weight as instead of a bleak scenario of Muslim States fighting among themselves, the outcome of the diplomatic process, mediated by Pakistan, will most likely change security perceptions transforming the traditional adversarial relationship between Iran and the Gulf States into a cooperative mode. Reassessment of their security strategies and postures can change the fate of the entire region and usher in an era of progress and prosperity in a peaceful and stable environment. That is why the security sources said that Pakistan’s involvement was driven not by narrow geopolitical interests but by a broader objective of ensuring regional stability and preserving unity within the Muslim world. They underlined that through consultation and cooperation with all key stakeholders, Pakistan helped save the region from a major war that was planned to be imposed and would have carried grave consequences. Apart from Pakistani leadership that has consistently been urging Iran and Gulf countries to exercise restraint, the credit surely goes to Saudi Arabia, which maintained calm and demonstrated strategic patience in the face of provocative drone and miss