Pakistani leaders scrambling to keep US-Iran talks alive, say officials

Pakistan’s top political and military leadership has worked to prevent talks from collapsing and to persuade the US to extend the ceasefire over the past 24 hours, officials say.

Two Pakistani officials tell The Associated Press that authorities will keep security arrangements in place in Islamabad in case US and Iranian delegations ultimately arrive.

Pakistan is also still waiting to hear from Tehran on when it will send a delegation for a second round, the officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

In Islamabad, police and troops remain on alert along key roads, manning checkpoints. Residents are forced to take longer routes as authorities restrict access to parts of the city.

“We have not received any instructions to remove these barricades,” says police officer Mohammad Aslam as he directed commuters to turn back and use alternative routes.