Pakistan making full diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions in Middle East: FM Dar

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday that Pakistan was closely monitoring the regional situation following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was working to reduce tensions through diplomatic efforts.

Briefing ambassadors of several countries, FM Dar said Pakistan was engaging regional partners amid what he described as a "fragile and sensitive situation".

He said Pakistan was closely monitoring developments in Iran and that all efforts were focused on easing tensions, calling the situation “extremely delicate”.

Dar also expressed concern over what he described as violations of international law and diplomatic conventions, warning that recent developments in the region were deeply troubling.

He said Pakistan was alarmed by what he called the targeting of state leadership, saying it ran contrary to established international norms.

“We are concerned over the violation of the norms and international law and the age-old tradition that the heads of state and the government should have been seen targeted now,” he said.

“There are certain conventions which we are all supposed to follow. But things are on the ground moving very differently, which obviously is worrisome because we believe that international law must prevail and the convention must be respected. In all these engagements, we had consistently urged that the door to dialogue and diplomacy must not be closed.”

Dar said Pakistan’s position had remained consistent, stressing that all countries must adhere to the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

“Pakistan's position has been clear and persistent that all countries must abide by the principles of the UN charter and international law, including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states as well as international humanitarian law,” he said.

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He disclosed that he had recently spoken with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on February 28.

“In my latest conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on February 28th, I have conveyed Pakistan's condemnation of the attacks and called for restraint, diplomacy and dialogue, to which he positively responded. But on the ground, we are seeing that things are not yet settling or easing out,” he added.

Dar said Pakistan stood in solidarity with what he described as “brotherly countries” and urged maximum restraint from all sides.

“We acknowledge that the main target of Iran's retaliatory strikes was in self-defence,” he said.

At the same time, he said Pakistan regretted and condemned the strikes on Gulf countries.

“Pakistan deeply regrets and condemns these strikes on the brotherly countries, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman,” he said.

Dar rejected what he described as double standards in responding to regional developments.

“We can't have double standard. I was in Saudi Arabia, and the moment I got this news, I talked to them, and they issued more of a statement condemning it. But within no time, we then found a number of attacks, obviously in self-defence, but that compounded and complicated the situation on the ground. So anyway, they are a sovereign state, and it was their decision,” he said.

He reiterated that Pakistan would continue to push for diplomacy and dialogue as the only viable path to prevent further escalation in an already volatile region.

He also confirmed that one Pakistani national was killed in an attack in the United Arab Emirates.

Turning to the Gaza situation, Dar said Pakistan had played an effective role in efforts to promote peace, particularly in Gaza, and called for humanitarian assistance for the enclave’s residents.

“Pakistan has played an effective role in the establishment of peace in the Middle East, especially in Gaza,” he said.

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He said Pakistan participated in the inaugural meeting of the Gaza Peace Board and would continue to support diplomatic initiatives aimed at regional stability.

Dar acknowledged Pakistan was passing through a difficult diplomatic phase, adding that the government was in contact with neighbouring and Gulf states.

He added that he had sought to take friendly countries into confidence regarding developments in Afghanistan and broader regional security concerns.

Briefing ambassadors on engagements with Kabul, Dar said he wanted to take friendly countries into confidence regarding developments in Afghanistan.

Dar said Pakistan enjoys strong relations with China, the United States and other brotherly countries, and reiterated Islamabad’s desire for peaceful neighbourly ties with Afghanistan.

He added that he made three visits to Afghanistan last year, during which detailed discussions were held on the economy, trade and other key matters.

During those visits, he said, both sides discussed enhancing connectivity through a rail project and Pakistan offered 4,500 scholarships to Afghan students.

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“We made only one request — that their soil should not be allowed to be used against Pakistan,” he said, adding that a serious violation occurred in October from Afghan territory.

Dar said Pakistan possesses concrete evidence of terrorism originating from Afghan soil. He added that mediation efforts had yielded no results.

“Qatar requested negotiations, but no result emerged. The Istanbul talks also produced no outcome,” he said.

He said Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist elements.

“We successfully destroyed terrorist hideouts and camps,” he said, adding that civilian populations were not targeted in retaliatory actions.

He said attacks on 53 locations across 15 sectors in border areas were unacceptable to Pakistan.

Dar said that 37 locations in Kabul, Nangarhar, Paktika and other areas were targeted based on verified intelligence, and that operations were conducted with extreme caution.

“The actions were only against the Taliban regime and terrorist elements,” he said.

He reiterated that Pakistan reserves the right to take appropriate measures in self-defence.

“Pakistan reserves the right to take all appropriate measures for its defence. The reality is that Afghanistan has become a haven for terrorists, and we targeted terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan,” Dar said.