Pakistan, May 13 -- Pakistan's rejection of the CBS News report about Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase has pushed Islamabad's mediation role into the centre of a manufactured controversy, with officials and analysts arguing that ordinary ceasefire logistics are being distorted to cast doubt on a country that has kept a difficult US-Iran diplomatic channel open when others could not.

The Foreign Office on Tuesday "categorically" rejected the CBS report as "misleading and sensationalized," saying such narratives appeared aimed at undermining efforts for regional stability and peace. The report by American news outlet had alleged that Pakistan, while positioning itself as a diplomatic conduit between Iran and the United States, had quie...