Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has departed for Saudi Arabia on an official visit today (Wednesday).
The visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be in the bilateral context, where the Prime Minister will meet the leadership of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security.
The Prime Minister will also visit Türkiye to participate in the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
During the Forum, the Prime Minister will participate in the Leaders’ Panel, alongside other world leaders, to present Pakistan’s perspective at the Forum.
On the sidelines of the Forum, the Prime Minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other key world leaders.
Pakistan’s participation in the Forum reflects its continued commitment to constructive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and meaningful engagement with the international community on issues of global importance.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, as well as other senior officials.
Earlier, in an interview with the New York Post, Trump said the next round of Iran-US talks is also likely to be held in Pakistan.
“You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump said to the journalist, reports say.
He also praised the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, saying that he is doing excellent work.
“He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,” Trump further stated.
According to a report by the American newspaper Washington Post, US President Trump has said that the next round of talks with Iran could be held in Pakistan.
In a statement, the US President said that the next round of US-Iran talks could be held in 2 days, according to the reports.
His statement comes at a time when there is widespread speculation that President Trump will visit Pakistan soon. However, nothing has been confirmed officially yet.
Iran wants second phase of talks in Pakistan: sources
Iran has shown full trust in Pakistan’s management and security arrangements during the Islamabad peace talks, saying that the second round of the peace talks between the United States (US) and Iran should be held in Pakistan as well, sources said on Tuesday.
According to the sources, Iran is completely satisfied with the management and the security arrangements of the first round of US-Iran peace talks.
Sources inform that the country says the second round of these talks should be held in Pakistan as well.
However, the phase 2 of the Islamabad Peace talks has not been confirmed yet.
Islamabad talks
On April 11 and 12, Pakistan held the Islamabad Talks 2026, where Iran and the US sat together in hopes of reaching a peaceful solution.
However, after the talks concluded, the Vice President of the US, JD Vance, revealed in a short media briefing that they could not reach a conclusion.
He added Iran chose “not to accept our terms” at the talks, adding that the US needs to see a “fundamental commitment” from Tehran not to develop nuclear weapons.
