7 min readApr 9, 2026 06:20 AM IST First published on: Apr 9, 2026 at 06:20 AM ISTIn the volatile theatre of West Asian geopolitics, the script has taken an improbable turn. For decades, the corridors of power in Washington and Tehran were paved with mutual suspicion, separated by a chasm that no amount of traditional diplomacy could bridge. Yet, as the 2026 Iran-US conflict reaches a fever pitch, the most consequential diplomatic bridge is being built not in Geneva or Doha, but in Islamabad, where negotiations begin on Friday.The emergence of Pakistan as the indispensable broker in this crisis is a development that demands a mature and sophisticated response from New Delhi. While the historical reflex of our establishment might be one of disparagement, strategic anxiety, or both, the sheer scale of the current conflagration, US President Donald Trump’s threat of a “civilisation-ending” cataclysm, and the malign effects on the region all necessitate a more statesmanlike posture. True, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s social-media gaffe in posting a message apparently drafted in Washington suggests that the US may merely be using Pakistan to give the ceasefire a neutral, third-party face, allowing both the US and Iran to de-escalate without appearing to back down directly to one another. But even if Pakistan is a diplomatic fig leaf rather than the real initiator, India must now navigate this development with a combination of strategic restraint, regional responsibility, and a renewed commitment to its role as the voice of the Global South.AdvertisementTo understand why Pakistan has suddenly become the pivot point for the Trump administration and the Iranian leadership, one must look at the unique “connectivity matrix” it has cultivated. The relationship between Field Marshal Asim Munir and President Donald Trump is no longer a matter of back-channel rumour; it is an operational reality. Trump’s penchant for personalised diplomacy, especially one over-valuing the strongman archetype, has found a mate in Munir, whom he calls his “favourite field marshal”. This personal rapport, forged during the heat of the 2025 India-Pakistan crisis over Operation Sindoor, has bypassed the formal bureaucracy of the State Department, creating a direct, high-velocity channel to the Oval Office.Simultaneously, with a Shia population of 40 million (the largest outside Iran), Islamabad possesses a cultural and sectarian asset that resonates in Tehran. Unlike the Sunni Gulf monarchies, which Iran views through a lens of existential rivalry, or Turkey, whose NATO membership creates a permanent glass ceiling of mistrust, Pakistan is perceived as a neighbour, albeit one that is not always friendly (or kind to its Shia minority) but that has “skin in the game”. A 900-km shared border means that for Pakistan, a regional war is not abstract geopolitics but a domestic nightmare of potential refugee surges and sectarian spillover.This is the “Islamabad channel” — a conduit that has already shown its potency by reportedly influencing Israeli targeting lists and facilitating the transmission of the earlier 15-point American ceasefire proposal. Its viability is enhanced by Pakistan’s “all-weather” alliance with China, its recent defence treaty with Saudi Arabia, and its stature as the second-most populous nation in the Islamic world, reinforced by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia flying to Islamabad recently.AdvertisementAs this initiative unfolds, India stands at a crossroads. The instinct to dismiss a Pakistani diplomatic win is a relic of a zero-sum era that the geopolitics of the third decade of the 21st century has disrupted. Instead, New Delhi should adopt a three-tiered strategy that prioritises regional stability over parochial rivalry.First, India must lead a resonant call for peace on behalf of the Global South. As the US and Israel assault Iran and Iran retaliates against its Gulf neighbours, the rest of the world is currently paying the highest price for this conflict in the form of energy inflation and ruptured supply chains. As a leading voice of these nations, India’s moral and diplomatic weight should be used to demand a cessation of hostilities. By championing peace without condemning either belligerent, India has reinforced its identity as a responsible global power that values the stability of the international order.Second, India must watch the Pakistani initiative with the keen eye of an interested neighbour rather than that of a resentful critic. There is no strategic benefit in rooting for the failure of a peace process. If the “Islamabad channel” manages to bring Washington and Tehran onto the same page, it will be a triumph for regional security. A de-escalated Iran War means a stabilised energy market and the protection of Indian interests. Why should we disparage it?If the Islamabad dialogue succeeds, India should be among the first to celebrate the return of peace. Celebrating a neighbour’s successful mediation does not diminish our standing; it is a recognition that in a nuclear-armed neighbourhood, a win for stability is a win for everyone. To sneer at it would signal to the world that India’s foreign policy is driven by spite rather than by substance. Regional resentments should never trump a clear-eyed assessment of the larger national interest.However, the path to peace is littered with potential shipwrecks. If the Pakistani effort fails — whether due to Iranian intransigence, American domestic politics, Israeli fury or the sheer unworkability of the peace plan — India must resist the temptation to gloat. A failed mediation is a tragedy for the region. Analysis, not celebration, should follow any setback. Does it leave room for a different kind of Indian effort? Could India’s own unique relationship with the US and its historical ties with Iran offer an alternative track? If the Islamabad process hits a wall, the vacuum it leaves will be dangerous, and India must be ready to step into the breach, not with a “told-you-so” attitude, but with a “let’s try something else” mentality.you may likeThe world of 2026 is no longer a unipolar playground. With China backing the Pakistani channel and other Islamic countries in support, the geopolitical tectonic plates are shifting. Amid the wreckage of the old order, India must maintain strategic autonomy while being ready to act as a bridge-builder.In this moment of supreme peril, let the “Islamabad channel” be tested. Let us watch it with the maturity of a nation that understands that peace is not a trophy to be won, but a foundation upon which all our futures are built. India’s voice must be clear: We are for peace, whoever the midwife may be.The writer is a fourth-term Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for Thiruvananthapuram and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs