Chinese delegation to join Islamabad talks as Pakistan pushes US-Iran engagement
Islamabad/Beijing: A Chinese delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad to support Pakistan’s mediation efforts in ongoing talks between the United States and Iran, according to a Pakistani foreign ministry source.
According to a New Arab report, the development comes as Islamabad hosts high-level discussions between Washington and Tehran, with the Iranian side led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. The delegation also includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, along with members of parliament and representatives from security, economic and legal bodies.
The US delegation is headed by Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.
Officials quoted in the report said China “may offer guarantees” in the event of a breakthrough and its potential role in supporting any agreement reached between the two sides.
The report follows earlier claims that Beijing played a role in encouraging Tehran to accept a temporary ceasefire, though Chinese authorities have not confirmed direct involvement. Responding to queries, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China would continue to maintain communication with all parties and work towards de-escalation and a comprehensive ceasefire.
Expressing support for mediation efforts led by countries including Pakistan, she called for the restoration of normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz at the earliest.
Pakistani officials will be urging the Iranian side to enter negotiations without preconditions, while addressing all outstanding issues through dialogue. A senior source cited by New Arab News indicated that while Tehran continues to insist on prior implementation of ceasefire terms, there are “positive signals” suggesting possible flexibility.
Pakistan has also invited Saudi Arabia to send representatives to observe the talks. Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, where the two sides discussed economic cooperation and ongoing engagement between the countries.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
