Islamabad, December 3, 2025: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday warned that escalating global conflicts pose serious risks to international stability and stressed the need for renewed regional cooperation in South Asia.
Speaking at the Islamabad Conclave 2025, themed “Reimagining South Asia: Security, Economy, Climate, Connectivity,” Dar said that “burning conflicts in the world pose dangerous risks to global peace.” Referring to Pakistan’s armed clash with India in May, he said the situation “could have escalated into something far more dangerous,” but Pakistan had demonstrated “both resolve and capability to thwart aggression and reinforce deterrence.”
The deputy prime minister underscored that durable peace in South Asia requires addressing more than strategic stability, stressing that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains a persistent threat to regional security.
Dar described South Asia as the world’s most populous region, grappling with poverty, inequality, sudden-onset disasters, climate change, and growing food insecurity. He noted that rising temperatures and devastating floods were already causing deep economic disruption across the region.
He called for enhanced cooperation in water management, climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and climate-smart agriculture, emphasising that collective action was indispensable for long-term resilience.
Dar also criticised Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, terming it a “genocidal war” and a humanitarian catastrophe. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for diplomacy, humanitarian relief, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
Highlighting that political fragmentation continues to obstruct regional progress, the foreign minister urged the removal of “artificial obstacles” hampering the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc). He said that connectivity should replace division, and economies must grow through synergy rather than isolation.
Dar stressed that South Asia’s intertwined security, economic, and climate challenges cannot be effectively addressed without structured regional dialogue.
Concluding his address, Dar said Pakistan remains committed to working with all willing partners to help South Asia realise its immense potential. He reiterated Islamabad’s belief in dialogue, diplomacy, multilateralism, and adherence to international law and the UN Charter.
“Pakistan seeks a just, equitable, and inclusive world order,” he said. “We have consistently championed cooperation over confrontation.”
