One of the senior US officials has raised a lot of reservations regarding the role that Pakistan can play in the peace talks between the United States and Iran in the current conflict. Douglas Macgregor who once acted as an advisor to the US Defence Secretary in the Donald Trump government cast doubt on whether Pakistan could be considered a credible intermediary.
According to Macgregor, the major stakeholders, especially Israel, would not regard Pakistan as an unbiased place to carry out negotiations. He said that the proposal to hold peace negotiations in Islamabad would simply go down the drain as he termed it as impractical and untrustworthy.
Rather, he implied that India is much better placed to mediate in a positive manner. Pointing out the balanced diplomatic relations of India, he has indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in good rapport with several leaders across the world including Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia and Tehran.
Macgregor stressed the fact that India is a more acceptable mediator as it is credible and has a greater standing in the world compared to all the involved parties. He also mentioned the new diplomatic activities made by the recently elected Modi such as his visit to Israel saying that the Israeli leadership are okay with the role played by India. He added that he is more inclined to India, which strengthens the idea that New Delhi can contribute to the reduction of tensions to a significant extent.
The comments are timed as the discussions on the possible mediation efforts are on the rise, with different countries being discussed as the possible facilitators of the negotiations. As indicated in the comments, there is increasing appreciation of Indian diplomatic power in resolving international conflicts.