Overview
- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar used Tuesday’s Margalla Dialogue speech to publicly reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding its rights under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and to oppose any attempt to weaponise river flows or infrastructure.
- Dar called for a more representative, rules-based multipolar international order as the best means to manage rising great-power rivalry and stressed that existing multilateral institutions are under strain from political divisions.
- He said Pakistan’s ability to navigate strategic uncertainty depends on building economic strength at home and expanding economic diplomacy abroad to reduce vulnerability to external shocks.
- Dar described the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement as a defensive partnership not aimed at any country, highlighted Pakistan’s recent role facilitating U.S.–Iran talks, and warned that Gulf and Red Sea tensions threaten secure maritime trade routes.
- The speech built on Pakistan’s 2025–2026 UN Security Council engagement and recalled the Indus Waters Treaty’s central role in Pakistan’s water security while noting that rapid advances in AI, cyber tools and biotech create governance gaps international institutions must close.