Ishaq Dar at Margalla Dialogue 2026: Pakistan Will Defend Its Sovereignty and Pursue Peace

Pakistan will defend its sovereignty with determination and pursue peace with equal commitment. That was the central message from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as he opened the Margalla Dialogue 2026 in Islamabad on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day event, organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Dar set out Pakistan’s view of a world in rapid change — and what the country plans to do about it. His speech touched on almost every big issue facing Pakistan today: the new defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, water rights under the Indus Waters Treaty, relations with India and Afghanistan, the war in Gaza, Pakistan’s role at the United Nations, and the future of the world economy.

Here is what he said, and why it matters.

What is the Margalla Dialogue?

The Margalla Dialogue is an annual security and foreign policy conference held in Islamabad. It brings together diplomats, security experts, academics and policymakers from Pakistan and abroad to discuss the biggest questions in world affairs.

This year’s event is held under the theme of navigating strategic uncertainty in a changing global order. In simple terms, the world is going through a period where old rules are under strain, big powers are competing more openly, and smaller countries are trying to protect their interests. Dar’s opening address was effectively Pakistan’s answer to that question: how does a country like Pakistan stay safe and prosperous when the world around it is so uncertain?

His answer, in short: build strength at home, practise effective diplomacy abroad, and keep talking — even to rivals.

The defence pact: “not against any country”

One of the most closely watched parts of Dar’s speech was his explanation of the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA), the defence pact Pakistan has signed with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

Dar was clear: the agreement is a defensive arrangement, directed against no country, and aimed at promoting regional peace and stability. He said it reflected Pakistan’s commitment to collective security and credible deterrence — in other words, the idea that countries working together on defence are less likely to be attacked, and better able to defend themselves if they are.

The point matters because defence pacts in a tense region are often read as a message to a rival. Dar went out of his way to say this one is not. The agreement, in his words, is “intended to contribute to regional peace and stability” — not to threaten anyone.

Water: Pakistan will protect its Indus rights

Dar also gave a firm warning on water. Pakistan, he said, will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and oppose any attempt to weaponise water.

The Indus Waters Treaty is the agreement that governs how the waters of the Indus river system are shared between Pakistan and India. For Pakistan, an agricultural country where millions of people depend on river water for farming and drinking, the treaty is not an abstract piece of paper — it is a matter of daily survival.

“Where millions depend on the shared resource, honouring agreements is essential to both human security and confidence between the states,” Dar said.

His message was aimed at a simple principle: treaties must be respected. If one side starts using water as a weapon — by blocking, diverting or threatening supplies — it does not just hurt farmers. It destroys trust between countries and makes every other dispute harder to solve.

India, Kashmir and May 2025

Turning to South Asia, Dar said unresolved disputes, military imbalances and one-sided actions continued to undermine stability in the region. He warned that strategic uncertainty should not become an excuse for “strategic adventurism” — a careful way of saying that confusion in world affairs does not give any country a licence to take military risks.

He pointed to May 2025, when Pakistan and India clashed. “Pakistan’s decisive and calibrated response to India’s unprovoked aggression in May 2025 through Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos demonstrated a resolve and capability to defend our sovereignty,” Dar said. He paid tribute to the armed forces for their professionalism and resolve.

At the same time, he repeated that Pakistan wants peace. “We will defend our sovereignty with determination and pursue peace with equal commitment,” he said.

On Kashmir, Dar said a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, was essential for lasting peace in the region. Without resolving the core dispute, he argued, South Asia cannot be truly stable.

Afghanistan: no safe haven for terrorists

Dar was equally direct on Afghanistan. Terrorism coming from Afghan territory, he said, remains a security challenge for Pakistan. Pakistan will continue protecting its people, he said, while supporting efforts towards a peaceful, stable and economically integrated Afghanistan.

But he set a clear condition: Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against other countries, particularly Pakistan. Progress towards a stable neighbourhood, he said, requires effective action to make sure that does not happen.

It is a message Pakistan has repeated often, and Dar’s decision to raise it at the opening of a major international dialogue shows it remains one of Islamabad’s top concerns.

Gaza and the case for international law

Dar also spoke about Palestine, saying the idea that “might is right” was gaining ground as the use of force increasingly replaced respect for international law. He said the suffering in Gaza, the continued occupation and the expansion of illegal settlements showed the human cost of impunity — when powerful actors break the rules and face no consequences.

His argument was broader than one conflict. When international law is applied selectively — enforced against some and ignored for others — countries lose faith in the institutions that are supposed to uphold it. Dar said the inconsistent application of agreed principles undermined their authority and made countries less secure.

That, he argued, is one of the reasons the world feels so uncertain today.

Pakistan at the United Nations

Dar pointed to Pakistan’s record at the United Nations as proof that diplomacy still works. Pakistan is a member of the UN Security Council for 2025–26, and during its presidency of the Council in July 2025, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2788 — a Pakistan-initiated resolution on strengthening the mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

He added that on 5 November, the Council adopted another Pakistan-initiated presidential statement by consensus, reaffirming the importance of sustained diplomacy, mediation and dialogue even during active hostilities.

The point of both achievements, in Dar’s telling, is the same: the world needs reliable ways to stop disputes from turning into wars, and to bring conflicts back to the negotiating table. Pakistan, he suggested, is trying to build those tools from inside the world’s most powerful body.

The US–Iran talks and the Islamabad agreement

One of the more striking parts of the speech was Dar’s account of Pakistan’s role in the Middle East. He said Pakistan’s facilitation of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad in April 2026 reflected its commitment to peaceful dialogue.

The talks led to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on 18 June, which Dar described as an important foundation for further negotiations and diplomatic efforts.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and the Foreign Office had remained closely engaged in these efforts, and that their sustained engagement had played an important role in Pakistan’s work to facilitate dialogue and advance regional peace.

Dar also described Pakistan’s coordination with China. The two countries jointly issued a five-point initiative in Beijing on 31 March 2026, aimed at restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East through dialogue and diplomacy. The initiative also called for the free movement of vessels through sea routes without restrictions, permits or charges — a reference to the shipping lanes that carry the world’s oil and trade.

He said he had remained actively engaged with regional partners, including Qatar and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt, through the Regional Four (R4) framework. The R4 had also held a joint meeting on 23 October with the European Four (E4), comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

His message: even during serious confrontations, communication channels must stay open. Closing them, he warned, would make future crises harder to manage and peace harder to achieve.

A world in transition: rivalry, technology and the economy

Much of Dar’s speech was a tour of the forces reshaping the world. He said rivalry among major powers had reached its peak, while international institutions such as the United Nations were facing political divisions. Arms control agreements — the deals that limit weapons and reduce the risk of war — are weakening, he said, increasing the risks of confrontation and miscalculation.

At the same time, he said, geopolitics, economics and finance are becoming more and more connected. Trade, technology, energy and access to money are all shaped by strategic competition between big powers. Instability in the Gulf and the Red Sea, he noted, showed how quickly a regional crisis could disrupt trade and energy supplies and send shockwaves through the global economy.

Then there is technology. Artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, biotechnology and space technologies are changing how states compete — and how conflicts could unfold. Dar said these developments raised “difficult questions about accountability and the rules governing their use.” In other words: the world has powerful new tools, but has not yet agreed on the rules for using them.

He warned that security crises could quickly turn into economic shocks — pushing up food and fuel prices, threatening livelihoods and putting extra pressure on public services. Policymakers, he said, need to recognise how a crisis in one area can spread into others.

Economic diplomacy and the Global South

Dar closed with the economy. Pakistan’s ability to navigate global uncertainty, he said, depends on the strength it builds at home. A resilient economy and strong technological capabilities give a country more freedom to pursue its priorities and withstand outside shocks.

Economic diplomacy, he said, was central to his work as foreign minister. He is working with international partners to expand markets for Pakistani products, attract productive investment and strengthen technological cooperation — all with the aim of helping Pakistani businesses grow, creating jobs and improving livelihoods.

He also called for greater international attention to the development needs of developing countries. The emerging world order, he said, must address the legitimate needs of the Global South. Fair access to finance, support for adapting to climate change and access to new technologies will decide whether developing countries can take part fully in the next phase of global economic growth.

His warning was blunt: an international order that leaves developing countries unable to create jobs, improve living standards and withstand crises “would struggle to deliver lasting stability.”

Why this speech matters

Dar’s address was more than a routine opening speech. Taken together, it was a statement of how Pakistan sees itself in a changing world:

• A country that will defend itself, as it says it did in May 2025, but that prefers peace.
• A country that wants treaties respected, whether on water with India or on international law in Gaza.
• A country that sees itself as a bridge, between the United States and Iran, between China and the Gulf, and between the developing world and the rich world.
• A country that wants a fairer global system, where power is shared more widely — but where rules still matter.

He also offered a note of caution about the multipolar world many leaders now talk about — a world where power is spread among many countries rather than dominated by one or two. A more representative order, Dar said, could give more countries a meaningful voice. But a wider distribution of power would not automatically produce a fairer or more peaceful world. Effective multilateralism, representative institutions and respect for agreed rules, he said, are essential to stop multipolarity from becoming just another source of rivalry and fragmentation.

What happens next

The Margalla Dialogue continues for a second day, with security experts and diplomats from Pakistan and abroad discussing the same themes Dar raised. The test of his speech will be what follows: whether the defence pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye deepens cooperation, whether water disputes with India are handled through the treaty, and whether the diplomatic channels Pakistan has helped keep open — with Iran, with China, with the Gulf states — produce real results.

Dar’s closing words summed up his message: the future international order will be shaped by the decisions countries make today. Pakistan, he said, will make those decisions with a clear sense of responsibility — towards safeguarding its sovereignty, advancing the well-being of its people, and contributing to a more peaceful and equitable world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Margalla Dialogue 2026?

The Margalla Dialogue is an annual foreign policy and security conference held in Islamabad and organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI). The 2026 edition is a two-day event held under the theme of navigating strategic uncertainty in a changing global order. It brings together diplomats, security experts and academics from Pakistan and abroad.

What is the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement?

The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) is a defence pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. According to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, it is a defensive arrangement aimed at collective security and credible deterrence, and it is not directed against any country.

What did Dar say about the Indus Waters Treaty?

Dar said Pakistan will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights under the Indus Waters Treaty and oppose any attempt to weaponise water. He said that where millions depend on a shared resource, honouring agreements is essential to both human security and trust between states.

What is Pakistan’s position on Kashmir?

Dar said a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, is essential for lasting peace in South Asia.

What did Pakistan do at the UN Security Council?

Pakistan is a member of the Security Council for 2025–26. During its presidency in July 2025, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2788, a Pakistan-initiated resolution on strengthening mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes. On 5 November, the Council adopted another Pakistan-initiated presidential statement by consensus, reaffirming the importance of diplomacy, mediation and dialogue even during active hostilities.

Sources

• The Express Tribune: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2639562/dar-vows-to-safeguard-pakistans-water-rights-under-iwt-oppose-attempts-to-weaponise-water
• Associated Press of Pakistan, via TezKhabar: https://en.tezkhabar.tv/dar-calls-for-diplomacy-amid-global-turmoil-says-pakistan-will-defend-sovereignty-while-pursuing-peace/

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.