ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has quietly launched a diplomatic effort to mediate between Libya’s rival eastern and western power centres, according to two Pakistani sources, in a previously unreported initiative that could further enhance Islamabad’s growing role as a regional peace broker if successful.
The mediation comes as international efforts intensify to resolve Libya’s prolonged political crisis, with the North African country remaining divided between competing eastern and western administrations since the civil war that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
The Pakistani initiative follows Islamabad’s widely recognised role in facilitating separate diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran earlier this year.
Reuters cited Pakistani sources as saying that the US was “fully aware and involved” in Islamabad’s Libya role, while both sources said Saudi Arabia was also supporting the initiative.
The sources said the mediation began late last year after both Libyan sides sought Pakistan’s involvement. It remains unclear how closely Islamabad is coordinating with other regional stakeholders.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the military’s media wing, officials representing Libya’s rival administrations, and the foreign ministries of Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Transitional Unity Proposal
According to a summary of a proposed “Libya Reunification Plan” seen by Reuters, negotiators are discussing a 36-month transitional power-sharing arrangement under a Government of National Consensus and Presidential Council.
The proposal, which one Pakistani source cautioned remains under discussion, envisages Abdulhamid Dbeibah, head of the UN-recognised Western-based Government of National Unity (GNU), serving as Prime Minister during the transition. Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), would chair the Presidential Council.
The plan would also assign Khalifa Haftar, the commander-in-chief of the LNA, authority over Libya’s budget, reflecting his faction’s control of many of the country’s major oil fields and key infrastructure.
One Pakistani source said Islamabad would play “an active role in making sure this whole arrangement stays in play”, with negotiations continuing over the finer details.
International Backing
Last month, Pakistan’s army chief, Syed Asim Munir, met Saddam Haftar in Rawalpindi. Days later, Haftar travelled to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Following the meeting, the US State Department said Rubio welcomed Libyan leaders’ efforts to overcome political divisions and reaffirmed Washington’s support for Libya’s unity.
Pakistan has expanded defence ties with the eastern-based LNA, while the rival GNU has also sought direct engagement with Islamabad, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Two Pakistani sources familiar with the discussions said Qatar and Turkey, one of the GNU’s principal backers, were among the countries that encouraged Pakistan to assume a mediation role.
Challenges Ahead
Analysts cautioned that achieving a lasting political settlement would require reconciling competing foreign interests, resolving disputes over power-sharing, election rules and oil revenues, and securing sustained commitment from Libya’s rival factions.
“The United States has been pushing hard in Libya,” said Jalel Harchaoui of Britain’s Royal United Services Institute. “But the format it is trying to impose is still loose and ill-defined.”
Tarek Megerisi, director of geopolitical advisory firm Informmi, warned there was no guarantee that any agreement would endure, citing previous peace accords that quickly unravelled despite international backing.
