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A face-saving chance for Trump to pause the war on Iran

A credible peace plan brokered by Pakistan and backed by Beijing offers a glimmer of hope. It may be the only good option available to the US.

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An anti-US banner on display in Tehran. The China guarantee is possibly the best exit opportunity for Mr Trump to extricate himself from the quagmire, says the writer.

An anti-US banner on display in Tehran. The China guarantee is possibly the best exit opportunity for Mr Trump to extricate himself from the quagmire, says the writer.

PHOTO: AFP

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The last time Pakistan was involved in a successful major international mediation effort, it was to facilitate then-US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger’s secret trip to Beijing in 1971 that set up the watershed Nixon-Mao summit the following year. 

Pakistan was then led by a former general, President Yahya Khan. It is still substantially steered by the military, although Field Marshal Asim Munir – US President Donald Trump’s self-confessed “favourite field marshal” – operates behind the facade of a civilian structure.

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