Naqvi, US ambassador discuss security arrangements for second round of Islamabad Talks

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed security arrangements for the planned second round of Islamabad Talks with the United States’ ambassador to Pakistan, Natalie Baker, in the capital on Monday.

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that representatives from Washington were heading to Islamabad and they would be “there tomorrow evening” for a second round of negotiations with Iran, after the first round of talks hosted by Pakistan ended without an agreement.

A press release by the Ministry of Interior said that Naqvi arrived at the US Embassy in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave to meet the ambassador, where they also discussed in detail the regional situation and the promotion of Pakistan-US relations.

The interior minister informed Baker about the security arrangements made for the second round of the Islamabad Talks, saying that special security arrangements had been made for all special guests.

The ministry added that he was “praying for the success of the second round” of talks.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador appreciated Pakistan’s sincere role in reducing tension in the region, the ministry added.

Director General (DG) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Dr Usman Anwar, Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Sohail Ashraf, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi and Deputy Commissioner Irfan Memon were also present on the occasion, it said.

Security arrangements in Islamabad have kicked into overdrive to prepare for the potential second round of negotiations between the US and Iran, to be once again hosted in Islamabad.

Islamabad’s Red Zone was closed for traffic as the capital braced to welcome foreign delegations, police said on Sunday, with alternate traffic plans issued to facilitate citizens.

The historic first round of direct US-Iran talks, held in Islamabad on April 11 and 12, ended without an agreement but also without a breakdown.

US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the talks days ago, but Washington and Tehran remain in a stand-off over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran again closed the strait on Saturday, saying it would not reopen the maritime trade route until the US ended its blockade of Iranian ports.

The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, brokered on April 8 after over a month of conflict, is set to expire on April 22.