Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left Islamabad for Switzerland on Saturday night along with a high-level delegation to participate in technical-level talks between Iran and the US scheduled to take place in Bürgenstock on June 21, 2026.
According to official sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir will jointly attend the meetings, which are being held as a follow-up to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The technical-level talks are aimed at carrying forward the implementation of the understandings reached under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, with representatives expected to discuss matters related to its execution and future cooperation.
The prime minister's delegation includes senior officials who will participate in the discussions alongside their counterparts during the meetings in Bürgenstock.
The talks are scheduled to be held on June 21, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir representing Pakistan at the high-level engagement.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) announced that technical-level talks, as a follow-up to the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will be held in Buergenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi are leaving for Switzerland tonight. The Iranian delegation will go to Switzerland to make progress on the issues, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. There will be consultations to implement the promises according to the MoU.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to travel to Bürgenstock, Switzerland.
Sources divulged on Saturday that the Prime Minister's Office has been directed to make preparations for the possible visit. According to sources, the prime minister's departure will depend on the arrival of US Vice-President JD Vance in Switzerland.
Thursday proved to be a red-letter day for Pakistan, as the country awoke to news of a long-awaited peace deal finally being signed between the US and Iran, heralding an end to the bitter animosity that has afflicted the Middle East and plunged the world into crisis for months.
“Representatives of the United States and Iran, along with mediators from Pakistan and Qatar, will participate in the discussions,” the FO said.
“Pakistan will continue to facilitate the process in its role as mediator, with a view to advancing the understandings reached under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.”
Meanwhile, diplomats from several countries were meeting Saturday at a Swiss retreat in a bid to maintain dialogue on the preliminary US-Iran deal to halt the Middle East war, said Bern.
The Swiss foreign ministry said diplomats were in discussions at the luxury Burgenstock resort near Lucerne in central Switzerland, without giving further details.
A diplomatic source told AFP the discussions under way on Saturday were preparatory in nature.
Senior-level talks at the hotel complex were initially planned for Friday, but were called off, with the process shrouded in layers of uncertainty, as Israel carried out deadly strikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
Swiss public broadcaster RTS said technical delegations from the United States and Iran, plus from mediators Qatar and Pakistan, were present at the discussions.
"Switzerland continues to provide a discreet and reliable setting to facilitate talks at Burgenstock on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran," the foreign ministry said in a brief statement.
"Diplomats from various countries currently present are continuing their efforts to maintain the dialogue.
"No further information can be provided regarding those present or the discussions," it added.
Israel carried out deadly strikes in south Lebanon on Saturday and Hezbollah maintained it had the right to respond, hours after the United States announced a renewed ceasefire in fighting that had strained the fledgling deal with Iran.
US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian this week signed a preliminary agreement to halt the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.
But follow-up talks scheduled for Friday at the Burgenstock were indefinitely postponed as the fresh fighting in Lebanon flared.
Katara Hospitality, owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, took over the Burgenstock complex in 2007.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said late Friday that he had met earlier in the day with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the resort.
The pair "exchanged views on recent regional developments following the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran", Cassis said on X.
"As countries that place great importance on mediation, dialogue and good offices, Switzerland and Qatar share a strong commitment to supporting diplomatic solutions to international challenges.
"I thanked Qatar for its important mediation efforts and reaffirmed Switzerland's readiness to support initiatives aimed at de-escalation, stability and lasting peace."
AFP/ Reporters