Dar urges India to rethink hostile policies that threaten regional peace, stability

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has urged India to rethink its present hostile and misguided policies that threaten peace and undermine security in South Asia.

Speaking at an event held to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the Institute for Strategic Studies (ISSI), the minister said that amid the global turbulence and transformation, “Pakistan is charting a forward-looking course as a confident and self-assured nation - resolutely safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity and shouldering its obligations as a responsible member of the international community”.

He said that Pakistan values the efforts of all friendly countries, including the U.S., KSA, UAE, and Türkiye that resulted in preventing further escalation between India and Pakistan and putting the ceasefire in place.

“Going forward, it is essential to consolidate the ceasefire, institute a reliable crisis management mechanism, and develop confidence building measures that would help stabilise the regional security situation,” the foreign minister said.

Dar added that the outcome of the 4-day war with India once again underscored the reality that India can neither intimidate nor coerce Pakistan.

“New Delhi must, therefore, rethink its present hubristic and misguided policies that threaten peace and undermine security in South Asia.”

Meanwhile, the minister said that Pakistan also believes that time has come to re-imagine regional cooperation in South Asia and in our extended neighbourhood.

“The negative impulses of dominance and hegemony have long stymied this process and made SAARC dysfunctional.

Our region instead needs a positive spirit of solidarity, mutually-beneficial collaboration, and shared prosperity,“ he said.

On Afghanistan, the deputy PM said that in recent months, Pakistan has purposefully made efforts to reset Pakistan-Afghanistan relations on a positive trajectory.

He said both the countries have agreed to upgrade the diplomatic representation to Ambassadorial level and extend CPEC to Afghanistan.

“If the Interim Afghan Government works with complete sincerity and wholeheartedly, the fruits of our economic cooperation, efforts for regional integration, and connectivity would be enormous.

Not only the people of Afghanistan will benefit tremendously but also the dividends of shared prosperity would extend to Central Asia and beyond.“

The ISSI was founded in1973 and has evolved into one of Pakistan’s foremost strategic think-tanks.

It is known for generating quality research, promoting thought leadership, and fostering inclusive dialogue among diverse stakeholders.