- Demands that India immediately reverse the pause in the Indus Waters Treaty.
- Flags “deliberate aggression” in SAsia, says peace needs IIOJK solution.
- Says multilateralism under siege; the international system remains fragmented.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar has warned that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) poses “a real threat to regional stability” and is calling for its immediate reversal, while urging water to remain “a source of cooperation, not a weapon of politics”.
Speaking at the EU’s Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum Roundtable, Dar said South Asia was once again facing “deliberate acts of aggression that risk peace and security”, adding that some regional actors are engaging in “accusations, inflammatory rhetoric, inciting war hysteria and then using it as a pretext for aggression and unilateral actions”.
He appreciated what he described as the “constructive role” played by international partners, including the EU High Representative, in efforts to calm the latest escalation.
Stressing that lasting peace in South Asia remains impossible without a peaceful resolution of the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) dispute, Dar said it must be in line with “relevant UNSC resolutions and Kashmir aspirations”.
Regarding Afghanistan, the foreign minister said the country “remains a corollary to Pakistan and regional stability”. He reiterated Islamabad’s desire for “a peaceful, stable, friendly, connected and prosperous Afghanistan”, and called on the Afghan Taliban regime to “act responsibly, honor its commitments and work towards eradicating terrorism from its soil”.
Earlier, Dar opened his remarks by describing a world under increasing pressure – from rising conflict and rivalry between major powers to food insecurity, inflation, cyber threats and AI-driven disruption. “We are at a crucial moment,” he said. “Yet our collective ability to respond is weakening. Multilateralism is under siege; our international system remains fragmented.”
He argued that the Indo-Pacific should not become a theater of great power rivalry. “Constructions like the Indo-Pacific overlook the geographic, historical and cultural realities of the region,” he said, insisting that “inclusiveness, not exclusivity, must guide our cooperative approach”.
Dar also highlighted Pakistan’s July presidency of the UN Security Council, where Islamabad spearheaded Resolution 2788 (2025), aimed at strengthening mechanisms for peaceful dispute resolution. Pakistan’s broader security perspective, he said, seeks “to maximize convergences and minimize divergences through dialogue, connectivity and peaceful dispute resolution”.
Regarding the situation in the Middle East, Dar condemned the continued violence in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian land. He welcomed the peace agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh through efforts led by President Donald Trump and Arab-Islamic countries. Pakistan, he said, supported the recent UNSC resolution on Gaza and expects it to deliver a “permanent cessation of hostilities, Israeli withdrawal, unimpeded humanitarian access and reconstruction”.
“Our policy is based on the criticality of a credible, time-bound political process,” he said, reiterating Pakistan’s support for an independent and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Addressing the conflict in Ukraine, Dar said the war had disrupted global food and energy markets “with real consequences for our people”. Pakistan’s position, he noted, “is anchored in the UN Charter” and Islamabad hopes for a peaceful solution.
Dar concluded by pointing to the EU’s cooperation model as an example of how inclusivity can create peace and prosperity. Pakistan, he said, sees regional connectivity as its own path, positioning itself as a hub bridging Asia and Europe. He said synergies between the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the EU’s Global Gateway could help build “green, digital and transport corridors” supporting a more interconnected EU-Asia-Pacific region.
