Pakistan in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
Pakistan's politics in March 2026 centered on its effort to mediate between the United States and Iran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences over the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on March 1 and later congratulated his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. On March 3 Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan was ready to facilitate talks, and on March 12 Oman, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey jointly pushed for a ceasefire. Pakistan delivered a U.S. proposal to Iran, and on March 26 Dar said indirect talks were under way through messages relayed by Pakistan. A Pakistani official said Israel backed off plans to kill senior Iranian officials at Pakistani and U.S. requests. On March 28 and 29 Pakistan hosted the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, and it announced that it would host U.S.-Iran talks in the coming days. Iran said no negotiations were taking place and rejected Pakistan's claims of mediation, and Trump said Iran had cleared 20 ships, which Pakistan says refers to its own vessels.
The second theme was the conflict with Afghanistan. Cross-border clashes and drone attacks continued, the UN human rights chief urged both sides to stop, and the two countries held their first formal mediation talks on March 10. China said it was mediating, though one report said Pakistan declined its push for talks with Kabul. On March 18 Pakistan and Afghanistan declared a temporary ceasefire for Ramadan and Eid, and on March 19 they agreed to pause strikes until the end of Ramadan.
At home, a court sentenced 47 leaders and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party to 10 years in prison, while another court granted Khan pre-arrest bail in six cases. The government called off the Pakistan Day military parade because of austerity measures. The IMF called on Pakistan to reverse a secrecy clause in a law on asset declarations by members of parliament.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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