Lasting peace in South Asia requires more than strategic stability: DPM Dar

• Pakistan demonstrated resolve, capability to thwart aggression: Dar.
• DPM says regional peace requires more than strategic stability. 
• Dar reiterates Pakistan’s support for resolution of Gaza conflict. 
  

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has warned that global conflicts threaten international stability and called for renewed regional cooperation in South Asia. 

He was speaking at the Islamabad Conclave 2025, titled “Reimagining South Asia: Security, Economy, Climate, Connectivity.”

"Burning conflicts in the world pose dangerous risks to global peace," Dar said, adding that even Pakistan's May conflict with India, it could have escalated into something far more dangerous, but Pakistan demonstrated both resolve and capability to thwart aggression and reinforce deterrence.

He stressed that lasting peace in South Asia requires more than strategic stability, highlighting that the unresolved Kashmir dispute continues to pose a regional threat.

Dar described South Asia as the most populous region, facing multiple challenges including poverty, inequality, sudden disasters, climate change, and food insecurity. Rising temperatures and devastating floods are already having destructive effects on the economy, he noted.

He emphasised that regional cooperation in water management, climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and climate-smart agriculture is essential.

The deputy prime minister also criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, terming the genocidal war a humanitarian crisis, and reiterated Pakistan’s support for diplomacy and peaceful dispute resolution.

He said Pakistan is committed to working with all willing partners to help South Asia achieve its immense potential.

Dar highlighted that the region’s security, economic fragility, and climate challenges cannot be addressed effectively amid political fragmentation. He also called for the removal of artificial obstacles in Saarc’s functioning, saying connectivity should replace divisions, economies should grow in synergy, and disputes should be resolved peacefully.

He concluded by stressing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, and multilateralism based on international law and the UN Charter. “Pakistan seeks a just, equitable, and inclusive world order and has consistently championed cooperation over confrontation,” he said.