Pakistan has indicated that it is willing to mediate between the United States and Iran to ease the ongoing West Asia conflict, with Islamabad proposing a back-channel approach to convey messages between the two sides.

However, officials in India say that the effort may face serious challenges. They note that Pakistan is attempting to project itself as a peacemaker even as it remains engaged in tensions along its western front.

A key difficulty lies in balancing its ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran regards both the US and Saudi Arabia as adversaries, while Pakistan maintains close strategic and military links with Riyadh. A bilateral security understanding between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia treats aggression against one as a concern for both.

Officials point to the growing mistrust in Iran towards Pakistan. Tehran is said to believe that Islamabad has used its goodwill in ways that indirectly benefit the United States. This perception appears to have been reinforced by a recent development at the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has allowed limited passage to vessels from select friendly nations, including Pakistan. As part of this move, around 10 Pakistani ships were permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz. However, the coordinated movement of these vessels was seen as indirectly benefiting the United States.

Tehran, however, is understood to have viewed the episode differently, interpreting Pakistan’s role as an attempt to maintain favour with the US while leveraging Iranian concessions.

Another challenge for Pakistan lies in its ties with Saudi Arabia. Under their military understanding, Islamabad was expected to support Riyadh, which has faced attacks linked to Iran. Its decision to stay away has caused unease in Saudi circles, prompting the kingdom to explore defence cooperation with Ukraine. Kyiv is seen as a battle-tested partner, with years of conflict experience against Russia and operational expertise in countering Iranian-made Shahed drones.

Saudi Arabia had expected Pakistan to stand by it during this period of strain. However, Islamabad, a State that allegedly exports and breeds terror, chose to limit its role to diplomatic engagement. An official said Riyadh, which has long regarded Pakistan as a security partner, feels let down as it sees Islamabad focusing on mediation between the United States and Iran rather than supporting an ally.

Saudi Arabia has provided financial assistance to Pakistan on several occasions in the past, helping it through periods of economic strain. However, recent developments have led to growing disillusionment within the Saudi kingdom’s senior leadership.

Another official said Pakistan is currently not able to extend military assistance to Saudi Arabia. Its forces remain engaged in operations against the Afghan Taliban, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The sustained pressure on the military has limited its ability to offer deployments or air support to Saudi Arabia.

With developments affecting its ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, Indian diplomats believe it may be difficult for Pakistan to broker a peace agreement. They point out that such negotiations depend heavily on trust, and any reservations from one of the parties could complicate efforts towards a settlement.

On Saudi Arabia, Pakistan has avoided taking a clear position, a stance that has reportedly displeased Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran, on the other hand, believes Islamabad has used its goodwill in ways that benefit the United States, which it regards as an adversary.

Observers say Pakistan’s approach appears driven less by mediation and more by an effort to project itself as a proponent of global peace while trying to extract maximum benefits out of both Iran and the US.

Tehran, March 27: The brutal attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girl’s School in Iran’s Minab cannot be justified, covered up, and must not be met with silence and indifference, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) during an urgent debate held on Friday afternoon.

In his speech at the emergency session, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that his country is in the midst of an “illegal war” right now which has been imposed on it by “two bullying” nuclear-armed regimes, the United States and Israel.

“This war of aggression is clearly unjustified and extremely brutal. They launched this aggression on February 28 while Iran and the United States were engaged in a diplomatic process to resolve alleged US concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. For the second time in nine months, they have betrayed diplomacy by disrupting and destroying the negotiating table,” said Araghchi.

Among the most horrific manifestations of this aggression, he said, was the “calculated and staged attack” on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran, where more than 175 students and teachers were “massacred in a completely deliberate and brutal manner”.

“This brutal attack is merely the visible tip of a much larger iceberg; one that hides beneath its surface far worse atrocities, including the normalisation of the most egregious violations of human rights and humanitarian law, and the audacity to commit heinous crimes in a climate of complete impunity. At a time when the American and Israeli aggressors, as they claim, have the most advanced technologies and the most precise military and data systems, no one can believe that the attack on this school was anything other than a deliberate and premeditated act,” he stated.

Addressing the session virtually, Araghchi mentioned that the targetting of the Iranian school is a “war crime” and a “crime against humanity” that requires unequivocal and unconditional condemnation by all.

“This tragedy cannot be justified, cannot be covered up, and must not be met with silence and indifference. The attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab was neither a mere accident nor a miscalculation. The contradictory statements made by the United States to justify this crime cannot absolve them of their responsibility. Condemning such a brutal attack on an inherently civilian place, where the most innocent people are present and seeking knowledge, is not simply a legal obligation within the framework of human rights systems; it is a moral and human imperative. Our conscience will judge us far more profoundly than any court of law,” the Iranian Foreign Minister added.

He went on to add that the elementary school has not been the “only victim of the heinous crimes committed by the US and Israel” during the past 27 days of the war.

“Human rights and international humanitarian law have been widely and systematically violated by the aggressors in an unprecedented and extremely brutal manner. They have targetted civilians and civilian infrastructure with complete disregard for the laws of war and the fundamental principles of humanity and civility. More than 600 schools across Iran have been destroyed or damaged, resulting in the deaths or injuries of more than a 1000 students and teachers. The aggressors, who arrogantly shout ‘there is no mercy or respite’ and threaten Iran with attacks on vital infrastructure, have targetted hospitals, ambulances, medical workers, Red Crescent aid workers, refineries, water sources, and residential areas.”

He urged the United Nations to unequivocally condemn the “aggressors” highlighting that Iran has never sought war.

“Iranians are a peaceful and noble nation, heirs to one of the richest civilizations in the world. However, they have shown complete and unwavering determination to defend themselves against ruthless aggressors who know no bounds in committing all kinds of crimes; a defense that will continue for as long as necessary,” Araghchi concluded.

The urgent debate has been convened following an official request submitted by Iran, China and Cuba. According to the UNHRC, the Minab school strike of February 28 will be discussed in the context of the “protection of children and educational institutions in international armed conflicts”, as outlined in the request. The programme of work for the ongoing 61st regular session of the Human Rights Council has been adjusted to include this urgent debate.

New York, March 27: Human Rights Watch, a US-based advocacy group, on Friday termed the recent Pakistani airstrikes on a rehabilitation centre in Kabul as “an unlawful attack” and warned that the incident could amount to a possible war crime, raising serious concerns over civilian safety and adherence to international law.

On March 16, Pakistan launched airstrikes on the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul that killed hundreds of civilians and injured several others.

The rights body called on the Pakistani authorities to conduct a swift and impartial investigation into the incident and ensure accountability for those responsible.

“The available evidence indicates that the Pakistani airstrike against a well-known Kabul medical facility, killing dozens of patients, was unlawful. Pakistani authorities need to carry out an impartial investigation to determine why it hit a drug treatment centre filled with civilians and who should be held to account,” said Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at HRW.

Citing an employee at the facility, the HRW said that over 1,000 patients were at the rehabilitation centre in Kabul at the time of the attack, but the actual number is uncertain. The rights body added that an official with an international agency said that many patients were in the dining area to break the Ramadan fast.

The United Nations highlighted the “complete destruction of one block that housed adolescents receiving drug treatment”.

On March 17, Pakistan’s federal minister of information and broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, posted on X, stating that Pakistan had carried out “precision airstrikes” on “technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage facilities,” but did not mention the Omid facility.

The HRW said that based on available information, there was no evidence that the Omid centre was being used for military purposes, making the attack “unlawfully indiscriminate”.

“In any case, the attack would appear to violate the prohibition against disproportionate attacks. Serious violations of the laws of war committed with criminal intent—that is, deliberately or recklessly—are war crimes,” it noted.

Pakistan, the rights body said, has an obligation under international law to investigate alleged “war crimes by its forces and bring those responsible for serious abuses to account. ”

Amid the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the HRW cited the UN figures documenting at least 76 civilian deaths and 213 injuries from Pakistani airstrikes across Afghanistan.

“Concerned countries should press Pakistan to provide genuine accountability and ensure that failures in intelligence, target verification, and decision-making are identified and fixed so such strikes never happen again,” Gossman said.