- Pakistan's Deputy PM Ishaq Dar slipped on the red carpet during Egypt's FM visit in Islamabad
- Dar was unhurt and the diplomatic meeting with Egypt, Turkiye, and Saudi Arabia continued as planned
- The talks focused on easing US-Iran tensions and exploring potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar had an awkward red carpet moment on Sunday, when he momentarily lost his balance and slipped while receiving Egypt's foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, in Islamabad, for the Middle East de-escalation talks. A video showing Dar, who is also Pakistan's foreign minister, falling on the red carpet during the formal diplomatic reception has gone viral on social media.
The clip shows Dar lost his balance as he stepped forward to greet the visiting dignitary and fell on the ground. He was immediately assisted by security personnel standing nearby. Authorities later said the minister sustained a "hairline fracture" in the shoulder due to the fall but continued the meeting as scheduled.
The incident took place during the quadrilateral meeting in Islamabad between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to discuss easing tensions between the United States and Iran. Dar did not show any signs of injury, but his son revealed that he was on painkillers to manage discomfort and only agreed to a medical checkup late at night.
"Ishaq Dar Sahib, despite sustaining an injury during the reception of the Egyptian Foreign Minister today, completed all highly important meetings throughout the day on painkillers, Alhamdulillah, in the best possible manner," Ali Dar said on X.
He added that around 9 pm, after recording the official statement, a medical examination was conducted at the insistence of the family.
"His X-rays are, Alhamdulillah, overall fine. There is a hairline fracture in the shoulder. In the coming few days, his pain will be managed through medications and other precautionary measures," he said.
Dar is the leading member of the government of Shehbaz Sharif, who is active both on domestic and international fronts. After the meeting, he said talks between regional foreign ministers covered ways to bring an early end to the war and potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
"We agreed that this war is not in favour of anyone and would only lead to death and destruction; the unity of the Muslim ummah in these challenging times is of utmost importance," he said.
Dar said that he also briefed the visiting dignitaries on the prospects of potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad. "The visiting foreign ministers expressed their fullest support to this initiative."
"In this context, Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate their talks. Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict," he added. Neither the US nor Iran has confirmed any development regarding the direct talks yet.
Pakistan, along with Turkiye and Egypt, is making efforts to bring the US and Iran to the negotiating table, but so far without any success. But officials are keeping fingers crossed for such a meeting in the coming week.
