In a renewed bid for regional peace, Pakistan on Tuesday extended an olive branch to India, offering to resume comprehensive talks to resolve all outstanding disputes between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, including the decades-old Kashmir issue.
Speaking at a news conference in New York, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as the country's foreign minister, reiterated Pakistan's willingness for "composite dialogue," emphasizing that any future engagement must go beyond the issue of terrorism.
"Pakistan has itself been one of the biggest victims of terrorism," Dar said, adding that the offer was made in good faith and with the aim of achieving durable peace in South Asia.
The foreign minister asserted that there could not be lasting peace in the region without resolving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He said even US President Donald Trump had repeatedly acknowledged the importance of the issue.
Dar's comments came after his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During the meeting, both leaders discussed regional security and Pakistan's contributions to the global war on terror. "Secretary Rubio recognized Pakistan's sacrifices," Dar said.
On the Indus Waters Treaty, he reaffirmed Islamabad's position that the agreement is legally binding and cannot be altered unilaterally. He warned that any attempts by India to divert or block Pakistan's share of river waters would be unacceptable.
In response to a question on Israel, he made it clear that Pakistan has no plans to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated Pakistan's support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital.
Earlier in the day, the foreign minister addressed the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
In a strongly-worded speech, he condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and called for urgent international intervention. "For over 75 years, the Palestinian people have endured occupation, displacement and denial of their fundamental rights," Dar said. "Gaza is now a graveyard of international law."
He cited the killing of over 58,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — as a "grave breach of international humanitarian law" and called for accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity. "This collective punishment must stop now," he declared.
Dar outlined Pakistan's key demands that include an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire across Gaza and all occupied Palestinian territories, full and unimpeded humanitarian access, political and financial reinforcement for UNRWA and end to Israeli impunity through international accountability mechanisms and a genuine and irreversible political process toward a two-state solution.
He welcomed France's recent decision to recognize Palestine and urged other nations to follow suit.
He also supported the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) proposal for an international protection mechanism for Palestinians and pledged to contribute technical and institutional assistance in areas like public health, education, and governance.
"The occupation must end and end now," he demanded. "The best guarantee for lasting peace is freedom, self-determination, and full UN membership for Palestine."
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