Exclusive By: Kanwal Abidi
Islamabad: Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan on the morning of 11 April, he was accorded a warm welcome by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal Asim Munir and Federal Minister Mohsin Naqvi. VP JD Vance left PAF Nur Khan Base, then made a brief stopover at the U.S. Embassy Islamabad – to head towards Serena Hotel Islamabad for the crucial peace talks.
At Serena Hotel, VP JD Vance first met PM Shehbaz Sharif to mark the start of the historic peace talks, where he was accompanied by the Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner.
The meeting was held in a ‘bilateral set-up’ at the local hotel where the flags of Pakistan and the U.S. were set up, and both sides' officials met in a friendly and professional ambience.
PM Shehbaz was accompanied by Deputy Minister Ishaq Dar and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a ‘stepping stone towards durable peace’ in the region.
The Prime Minister reiterated that Pakistan looked forward to continuing its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards ‘sustainable peace’ in the region.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, a warm welcome has been extended to the U.S. Vice President and commended the “U.S. commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace”.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed the hope that Iran and the U.S. would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching lasting stability. The statement emphasized towards achieving a ‘durable solution to the conflict’.
