How Pakistan helped secure a ceasefire between the US and Iran — BBC News

[0:00] The US president has been very complimentary about the role played by Field Marshal Asim Muneer. [0:06] Who is he and how much power does he have to steer the negotiation? [0:13] Yeah, I mean, very good question, Christian. Asim Muneer is Field Marshal Asim Muneer. He's [0:18] the head of the armed forces here in Pakistan. He's been in that role since 2022. But in fact, [0:25] last year, he at the end of last year, there was amendment made to Pakistan's constitution and he [0:32] was not only told that his title of Field Marshal, which was bestowed on him after the crisis [0:39] between India and Pakistan in May of last year, was told that that title would be with him [0:43] for life, but that also he was going to be given lifetime immunity from prosecution as well. [0:50] Many people in Pakistan, or many observers of Pakistan, view the political system here as [0:54] a hybrid system between both the civilian government and also the military that are involved. [1:01] A lot of people have talked to me about it being a hand-in-glove form of operation. [1:05] Now, exactly where they sit on that spectrum, how much of this is a civilian influence and [1:09] how much of that is military, really fluctuates over the years. Many people saw that particular [1:14] change as an indication that it's swinging more towards the military. And what's been really [1:18] interesting is that President Trump seems to be paying very close attention to the military. [1:23] While we do see that there is discussion about Shabazz Sharif, the prime minister, [1:27] it is Asim Muneer, his favourite Field Marshal. It was, in fact, Asim Muneer who went to lunch, [1:33] first of all, with President Trump last summer. So President Trump seems to have this close bond [1:39] with the Field Marshal, rather than necessarily, although, of course, we do know that he's been [1:43] involved in a lot of the negotiations, Pakistan's prime minister. Now, in terms of how much sway [1:49] Muneer actually has over these forms of discussions, without being in the room, obviously, it's very [1:53] difficult to know. But again, where does Pakistan sit on this spectrum? We know it's not going to be [1:57] at the one end of the spectrum where it can actually strong arm the US or Iran into a deal. [2:03] It has not got that level of power. No one suggests it does. The other end of the spectrum is that it [2:07] just passes messages between the two. Or is it somewhere in between, where it is shaping those [2:12] messages, where it is trying to encourage both sides to come to the table and find something that [2:16] is more palatable to the other side? Well, I spoke to a source here in Pakistan late last night, [2:22] who, at the time, we hadn't heard that there would be a ceasefire. And they told me that there was [2:26] still this discussion ongoing, that they were continuing a pace. And they also talked about [2:30] the fact that this was a very small circle here in Pakistan that are involved in these discussions, [2:35] that are involved in this back and forth. We don't know exactly who those individuals were, [2:39] but the assumption, of course, is that the Field Marshal Asa Muneer will be involved in it, [2:43] that Shabazz Sharif, the prime minister, will be involved in it. So unless you're in the room, [2:47] it's really difficult to know quite how much influence Muneer seems to have [2:51] over President Trump and his perception of the relationship and what Iran is offering as well. [2:57] It's one of the more intriguing parts of the negotiation this leads, because it's been the [3:00] Qataris who've been the middlemen in this negotiation with Iran to this point. But of course, Pakistan [3:07] has a long border with Iran, gets a lot of its oil from Iran. And it's returning in some ways to [3:13] the role it played in the 1970s when it helped broker that rapprochement between the United States [3:19] and China. Yes, it's a very complicated relationship. There's a very close personal [3:25] relationship between Asa Muneer and President Trump, as Kerry has just outlined it. It's also [3:30] been strengthened by the buying of cryptocurrency. There's now reports in New York Times about a hotel [3:35] together. So they're in business together, which of course is what President Trump likes to do. So [3:40] like leaders the world over, the leaders of Pakistan have been trying to figure out how to get [3:45] President Trump on side. Shabazz Sharif, the prime minister, was very quick to join the board of [3:49] peace. And when the war started dragging on and there was a need for mediators to emerge, the Gulf [3:59] states were so furious with Iran that they just stepped back. They thought, we're engaged in self-defense. [4:05] So this is why countries which were not in the direct line of fire, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, came to the [4:10] war. And again, as Kerry said, Pakistan seemed to be a natural fit. And because of what was said to be [4:18] a personal relationship between Asa Muneer and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, when he was a top [4:25] commander in the IRGC, so a military-to-military contact, he was able, and so we don't know how he [4:31] picked because of the digital difficulties now, the communications difficulties with Iran, he was able [4:36] to talk to his Iranian counterpart. And similarly, Shabazz Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, said [4:43] he had an hour-long conversation with the President of Iran, Masud Pejishkian. So they've used their [4:48] personal contacts, their brotherly relations, Islamic nations. So there's a lot going for Pakistan's role. [4:54] But there needs to be people, it's hard to do real diplomacy without experienced diplomats. [5:03] I've just been sent a message reporting from the FT that the White House pushed Pakistan to broker this [5:08] temporary ceasefire. So it is very likely that those personal relations played a part in it. [5:13] And China said they played a role. President Trump confirmed that this morning. [5:16] Well, that's perhaps the biggest winners out of all of this.