Pakistan in May 2026: the most important developments in politics
Pakistan in May 2026 spent the month mediating between the United States and Iran. On 1 May Iran passed a new proposal to a Pakistani mediator, and on 10 May it sent an official response to a US ceasefire proposal through Pakistan, which President Donald Trump rejected as 'totally unacceptable'. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan's focus was on making the ceasefire permanent, and on 18 May Iran sent a revised proposal to Washington via Islamabad. Pakistan rejected a report that Iranian military aircraft were in the country as 'misleading'. Interior Minister visits to Tehran were followed on 22 and 23 May by army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, who met Iran's foreign minister and president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited Pakistan and Qatar with 'some progress, not there yet'. On 24 May Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Trump on the nearing finalization of a ceasefire agreement, and Pakistan said it hoped to host a second round of talks in Islamabad. On 26 May Pakistan rejected Trump's call to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader Iran deal, with officials calling it 'not acceptable'.
China was the second main theme as the two countries marked 75 years of diplomatic relations. President Asif Ali Zardari visited China early in the month, and Sharif made an official visit to Hangzhou and Beijing from 23 May, where Xi Jinping thanked him for mediating. China praised Pakistan's role and, according to a report, urged it to step up its efforts. Pakistan said it wanted Beijing to guarantee any US-Iran deal.
Relations with India also featured. India said Pakistani players can visit for multilateral events but bilateral competitions remain off the table, an arbitration court ruled in favor of Pakistan's position on the Indus Waters Treaty, and China said it had supported Pakistan during the four-day war with India in 2025.
At home, the Islamabad High Court scheduled a 7 May hearing on former Prime Minister Imran Khan's appeal in the £190 million corruption case, and lifetime arrest warrants were issued against Malik Riaz in the Bahria Town Karachi case.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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