Margalla Dialogue 2026: Dar urges diplomacy as order shifts

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar used the Margalla Dialogue 2026 to urge diplomacy and dialogue as great-power rivalries grow.

Dar told the Islamabad conference on Tuesday that Pakistan will defend its sovereignty and interests, and keep working for peace and prosperity in the region.

What Dar said at the Margalla Dialogue 2026

The Margalla Dialogue 2026 took as its theme “Global Order in Transition: Navigating Strategic Uncertainty,” and Dar built his speech around it. He said great-power rivalries are sharpening, conflicts drag on and arms control is weakening.

However, he said geopolitics and economic competition now overlap more than before. He warned that turmoil around the Gulf and the Red Sea could damage trade, energy flows and economies worldwide.

Advances in artificial intelligence and cyber tools, Dar said, bring fresh security risks.

Citing Palestine and Gaza, Dar argued that impunity has grave results. He said Pakistan’s regional diplomacy had followed the same conviction, and he promised to keep working for peace in the region. Pakistan, he said, will not drop its offer of dialogue. Pakistan, he said, stands by the UN Charter and wants diplomatic channels to stay open.

Diplomacy on the Middle East

Dar pointed to Pakistan’s work at the United Nations, among them its 2025-26 term on the Security Council.

Pakistan’s part in the April Islamabad Talks between the United States and Iran, he said, reflected a belief in dialogue. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding that followed is an important base for more negotiations.

He also noted close coordination with China. The two issued a joint five-point peace initiative for the Gulf and wider region in Beijing on March 31.

Through the R-4 framework, Pakistan keeps talking to Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as European partners. The goal is to keep talks alive and stop further escalation.

South Asia, water and Afghanistan

Turning to South Asia, Dar warned that open disputes, military imbalances and one-sided moves threaten stability. He said Pakistan’s answer to what he called Indian aggression in May 2025 proved its resolve. He also saluted the armed forces.

Pakistan wants peace but will defend its sovereignty, he said. A fair settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute under UN Security Council resolutions, he added, is vital for lasting calm.

Also, Dar cautioned against turning water into a weapon. Pakistan, he said, will protect its rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.

On Afghanistan, he called terrorism from Afghan soil a serious security threat. Pakistan will protect its citizens, he said, while it backs a peaceful, stable and economically connected Afghanistan.

Partnerships at the Margalla Dialogue 2026

Dar called China a cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He also cited constructive ties with the United States and wider cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Iran, Gulf states, Europe and Central Asia.

He described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye as a defensive arrangement. For now, the Margalla Dialogue 2026 gave Islamabad a stage for its case, and Dar said Pakistan will keep pressing for dialogue.