ISLAMABAD: Despite the uncertainty surrounding planned US-Iran talks in Islamabad, government circles are quietly hopeful that Pakistan will soon welcome President Donald Trump himself.

An extraordinary security plan, chalked out for the second round of talks, speaks volumes about the “major historic event” that is set to unfold, and the government is anticipating a presidential visit to the capital.

Those privy to developments say that the latest security arrangements are even more wide-ranging than those put in place when Vice President J.D. Vance last visited Islamabad a couple of weeks ago.

When contacted, a source close to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, quoting US media reports, hinted that this was because President Trump may be coming to Pakistan.

The source referred to an X post by Caitlin Doornbos, a New York Post journalist currently in Pakistan: “Vice President J.D. Vance and the US delegation will land in Pakistan within hours, President Trump just told me — adding that he was willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached.”

Officially, the government is keeping a lid on all key developments, due to the sensitivity of the talks. On Monday, there was no formal word about the fate of the US-Iran engagement. However, sources in the government told Dawn backdoor efforts were being made to pacify Iran so that it could come to the negotiating table.

In separate meetings, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also met the US and Iranian envoys, Natalie Baker and Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam, respectively, ostensibly to lay groundwork ahead of both delegations’ arrival.

“Iran’s announcement that it will not send its delegation for the talks has disturbed the PM’s Office. However, something is happening behind the scenes. Therefore, all concerned official quarters are silent on the matter,” said a source privy to the efforts to appease Tehran.

A senior security official said unprecedented security steps had been taken, indicating that a high-level visitor is excepted. He said over 20,000-25,000 personnel of Punjab police had been deployed while they were 10,000-15,000 in the first round of the talks.

Dawn made several attempts to reach out to the information minister, but he was unavailable for comment.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026