Pakistan thanks Trump as US extends Iran ceasefire ahead of key talks

Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday thanked US President Donald Trump for extending the ceasefire with Iran, expressing hope that both sides would be able to "conclude a comprehensive peace deal" to end the conflict.

A day before the truce was due to expire, Trump on Tuesday indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran at the request of Pakistan's leadership, even as a new round of peace talks remained on hold. Pakistan had planned to host the next round of negotiations, but the White House shelved Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Islamabad after Iran rebuffed efforts to restart the dialogue.

Pakistan had urged an extension of the truce due to uncertainty surrounding the second round of talks, which are still expected to be held later this week. Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had said on Tuesday that the ceasefire was scheduled to end at 4:50 am PST on April 22. Following Trump's announcement extending the ceasefire, Prime Minister Sharif thanked the US president in a post on X.

Sharif said, "On my personal behalf and on behalf of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, I sincerely thank President Trump for graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course." The Pakistan prime minister said that with the "trust and confidence reposed in (it), Pakistan shall continue its earnest efforts for a negotiated settlement of the conflict".

"I sincerely hope that both sides will continue to observe the ceasefire and be able to conclude a comprehensive 'Peace Deal' during the second round of talks scheduled at Islamabad for a permanent end to the conflict," he added. Trump said the ceasefire would remain in place until Tehran submitted a "unified proposal" and discussions were concluded "one way or the other".

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: "Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.

"I have therefore directed our military to continue the blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded, one way or the other," the US president said. However, there was still no clarity on the date of the next round of talks. Pakistan has taken elaborate security measures, including deploying more than 10,000 security personnel, in preparation for the proposed negotiations.

The first round of US-Iran talks held on April 11 and 12 failed to produce a breakthrough, prompting a flurry of diplomatic efforts by host Pakistan to cool tensions and revive hopes for another round of dialogue. Amid the uncertainty over the talks, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged the two sides to extend the two-week ceasefire and give diplomacy a chance. The Iran war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes.

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