Why Pakistan sent fighter jets to the Middle East before the US-Iran negotiations

Pakistan appears to be taking no chances as all eyes are on Islamabad, which will host the crucial US-Iran peace negotiations on Saturday. Pakistan must protect the Iranian delegation's aircraft from any Israeli "misadventures" because tensions in the Middle East remain high despite a two-week calm. As a response, Islamabad is rushing fighter fighters, C-130 transport aircraft, refueling tankers, and AWACS to the Middle East in one of the biggest Pakistan Air Force (PAF) peacetime operations.

The size of the air shield—dubbed a "Iron escort" by some experts—highlights the tremendous pressure Pakistan is facing as it hosts the most important diplomatic gathering in recent memory. After a month of warfare that claimed over 2,000 lives in Tehran, Pakistan and China were able to mediate a ceasefire between the US and Iran on April 8. Pakistan must now seek a long-term resolution to the dispute. But it hasn't overlooked anything. Pakistan is obviously aware that its reputation abroad is under jeopardy. Pakistan has turned on its air defense systems in its southern and western airspaces in addition to securing portions of Islamabad.

"A comprehensive plan has been prepared to provide foolproof security to all foreign guests," Pakistani minister Mohsin Naqvi told The Dawn.

Leading the American team is US Vice President JD Vance, who has already left for Islamabad. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Muhammad Ghalibaf are expected to spearhead the talks. Should the negotiations take place, it would be the most important in-person encounter between these enemies since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.  However, Pakistan has used a sizable fleet of its aircraft to provide the Iranian delegation with a protective screen over Iran and the Persian Gulf, since Iran's air force was nearly destroyed in the conflict.

Why? to prevent any Israeli mishap or sabotage of the peace negotiations. Pakistan and Israel had already engaged in a series of acrimonious exchanges on Friday. It began when Israel was referred to as "evil" and a "curse for humanity" by Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif. The comments were deemed "outrageous" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Asif removed the message in response to criticism.

Due to these tensions, Pakistan provided Iranian diplomats with extensive air security protection. There appear to have been a few last-minute issues, though. Confusion over Lebanon's inclusion in the ceasefire deal has left it unclear whether the US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad would proceed. The US and Israel rejected the agreement, while Pakistan and Iran insisted that it included a stop to strikes on Lebanon. As a result, Israel launched its most intense airstrikes throughout Lebanon within hours of the truce agreement, focusing on the Iranian proxy Hezbollah. In a single day, it killed almost 300 people.

However, after Netanyahu stated that Lebanon wanted direct talks "as soon as possible," Israel has reduced its shelling during the last few hours. Whether the Iranian group will eventually board the flight to Islamabad is still up in the air.