Prominent cleric launches anti-Trump attack as Shehbaz Sharif pushes diplomacy

As Islamabad pushes to host U.S.-Iran talks, a powerful Shia cleric, Maulana Syed Jawad Naqvi, has openly attacked Trump, calling him a “wretched person” and warning against his visit. The outburst comes even as Pakistan’s interior minister meets U.S. ambassador Natalie Baker, praising Trump’s ceasefire push. With Iran talks stalled and tensions high in the Strait of Hormuz, Islamabad appears to be balancing two opposing narratives—diplomacy with Washington, defiance from within.