Pakistan Pursues Shuttle Diplomacy Amid Mideast Tensions

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, is scheduled to travel to the United States starting May 25 to attend a UN Security Council debate under China’s presidency. This visit follows Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to China from May 23 to 25, where Dar will also accompany him. The coordinated diplomatic efforts aim to position Pakistan as a central actor in regional and global security discussions, emphasizing mediation and multilateralism. In New York, Dar plans sideline interactions with the UN Secretary-General and foreign ministers from the Czech Republic and Thailand, before proceeding to Washington for further meetings. While a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio remains unconfirmed, the itinerary highlights Pakistan’s strategy to balance strategic ties with China while maintaining working relations with the US and Gulf states. Against the backdrop of fluctuating tensions between Washington and Tehran, Islamabad seeks to project itself as a stabilizing middle power capable of engaging multiple sides. The upcoming Sharif-Xi meeting is expected to address economic cooperation via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, regional connectivity, and broader geopolitical instability spanning from the Middle East to South Asia.