In a pivotalgeopolitical development, Pakistan has proclaimed "positive progress" in the clandestine indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States held in Doha, intimating that Islamabad could once again serve as the venue for future rounds of these high-stakes deliberations.

A propitious Diplomatic Communiqué

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, during his customary weekly press briefing, disclosed that Pakistan and Qatar had conducted separate consultations with the Iranian and US negotiators in the Qatari capital. He affirmed that the parties had concurred to prolong the dialogue process in the forthcoming period.

"There was positive progress made on issues related to the aspects of the Islamabad MoU, building on the Lake Lucerne Summit," Andrabi articulated, adding that the subsequent round of discussions would be organized following the funeral of the late Iranian leader.

Confidentiality and Optimism

The spokesperson declined to reveal the specificparticulars of the progress attained, citing the sensitive nature of the negotiations. However, he emphasized that the dialogue framework had not collapsed and that the intermediaries remained hopeful.

"We should rejoice in the fact that the dialogue is continuing. The parties are still at the table," he remarked.

Islamabad as a PotentialHost

When interrogated regarding the probability of Pakistan hosting the next round, Andrabi stated he could not exclude the prospect of future meetings in Islamabad, though no formal decision had been made regarding the venue.

For the official press briefing transcript, please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official portal.

PM's Expedition to Tehran

These commentsemerged as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to travel to Tehran on Friday to attend the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei and conveycondolences on behalf of Pakistan.

The Prime Minister's visitunderscores Islamabad's intimate ties with Tehran and coincides with Pakistan's expandingdiplomatic role in facilitating Iran-US engagement. Pakistan and Qatar jointly mediated the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last month, which paved the way for renewed diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.