Army out on streets and national holiday: How Pakistan is gearing up to host US-Iran peace talks
Islamabad entered a state of lockdown on Friday as Pakistan’s capital prepared to host high-stakes negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Army and paramilitary personnel guarded the roads around Serena Hotel, the venue of the talks, as police beefed up security across the city. On Wednesday, the luxury hotel’s management had asked its guests to check out by 5pm as the government had requisitioned the property for an “important event from this evening until Sunday”.
Pakistan’s political and military leaders achieved a major diplomatic breakthrough by mediating a ceasefire between the US and Iran early on Wednesday. The ceasefire was declared less than two hours before the deadline on US president Donald Trump’s threat to obliterate a “whole civilisation” if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route that usually carries a fifth of the global supply of oil and gas.
Although the truce was immediately threatened by Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon which k..