UK officials praise Pakistan’s US-Iran mediation, leadership in ‘challenging times’: Dar

Dar holds comprehensive talks with the UK foreign secretary, discusses bilateral ties, counter-terrorism cooperation

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that British officials had praised Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran during high-level meetings. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir were praised for their leadership in "challenging times".

FM Dar is currently on a visit to the United Kingdom from August 24-28.

Addressing a news conference in London, FM Dar called his UK visit “extremely useful,” and said that he held comprehensive talks with the UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on bilateral ties and counter-terrorism cooperation.

"In all the meetings, British officials praised Pakistan's mediation efforts between the US and Iran, in particular the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir for playing such a positive role in such challenging times," he added.

Read: British lawmakers praise Pakistan's leadership, mediation efforts for Middle East peace

FM Dar noted that discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, focused on "reforms and youth initiatives", with Pakistan co-chairing the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Dar further added that he highlighted Pakistan’s "vulnerability" to climate change, noting that Pakistan remains among the world’s ten most affected countries.

LIVE: DPM Dar addresses news conference in London https://t.co/jVDlLZYv5q

— Pakistan TV Digital (@PakistanTVcom) August 28, 2026

"I had detailed meetings about the ten Pakistani nationals held hostage on MT Honour 25 by Somali pirates, and the Pakistani High Commissioner also attended these meetings," he said, further noting that "there are some global maritime principles and rules that we need to follow, one of which is that you cannot pay ransom to free citizens of your country, which amounts to encouraging piracy and ransom".

Read More: Dar urges IMO chief to secure release of Pakistani crew

FM Dar also said that he met the British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, adding that the meeting was "off-camera for security reasons" and no pictures were released because that was the standard procedure.

While talking about the state of the economy, FM Dar highlighted that in the past, the "default mantra" loomed over Pakistan, further stating that when PML-N came back to power in 2024, "we took steps to return to normalcy under the leadership of the prime minister and now Pakistan's economy is stable".

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking to journalists in London, calls his UK visit “extremely useful,” highlighting comprehensive talks with the UK Foreign Secretary on bilateral ties and counter-terrorism cooperation. Deputy PM Dar says discussions with… pic.twitter.com/OdE5CxZ3pD

— Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) August 28, 2026

"The default mantra is now over, and our economic indicators have improved. Inflation was at 30 per cent earlier but now hovers around the single-digit level. Our policy rates have almost halved, and we have achieved macroeconomic stability. Now, all the efforts of the government are focused on increasing growth for development and achieving an increase in per capita income," he highlighted.

FM Dar said that "we want to return to the same point of macroeconomic stability where the PML-N government was previously derailed in 2017 through a conspiracy".

"I am sure you would recall where Pakistan was in 2017 when the conspiracy took place, when inflation was at 3.59 per cent, GDP growth was 6.3 per cent, and we had the highest foreign exchange reserves, policy rate was 5.25 per cent, and we had become the 24th largest global economy in the world and were projected to become part of the G20 in the next few years," he added.

FM Dar congratulates Saudi counterpart on election of new OIC secretary general

 

Earlier in the day, FM Dar congratulated Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the election of Mauritania’s Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as the new secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

According to a post on X, Dar spoke with Prince Faisal, with the two ministers exchanging views on "regional developments and matters of mutual interest, including the forthcoming meeting of the R4."

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 spoke with Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia H.H. Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud @FaisalbinFarhan.

DPM/FM congratulated Prince Faisal on the consensus election of H.E. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of… pic.twitter.com/MFbxo9YDcc

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 28, 2026

The two ministers “agreed to remain closely engaged”, the statement said.

Separately, Dar also held a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during which they “discussed the evolving regional situation and exchanged views on matters of common interest”.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 spoke with Foreign Minister of Türkiye H.E. Hakan Fidan @HakanFidan.

The two Ministers discussed the evolving regional situation and exchanged views on matters of common interest. They also discussed… pic.twitter.com/b8bN8zsYuV

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 28, 2026

The two foreign ministers also discussed “forthcoming engagements, including the forthcoming meeting of the R4”, MoFA said.

Regional Four to meet later this month

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Egypt are set to hold another round of high-level consultations in Istanbul later this month, as Islamabad steps up diplomatic coordination with key regional powers following the signing of a landmark defence agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.

Turkish FM invited Dar to Istanbul for a meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The invitation was extended during a telephone conversation on August 19.

The four countries have been coordinating under the R-4 framework, which was launched earlier this year to intensify consultations on regional crises, particularly the conflict involving the United States and Iran and broader efforts to promote regional stability. The grouping has held several meetings since March, with its fourth ministerial meeting taking place in Cairo in June.

Read: Ishaq Dar to visit Istanbul for quartet talks

The latest meeting of the four foreign ministers was held in Amman on August 5 on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem. Dar, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkish FM Fidan and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed the regional situation and called for continued consultation and coordination.

The Istanbul meeting, however, assumes added significance because it will be the first major R-4 engagement since Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement on August 7.

The agreement commits the three countries to collective defence, with an armed attack against one member to be treated as an attack against all. Pakistan and Türkiye have stressed that the pact is defensive in nature and is not directed against any particular country. The agreement also envisages deeper military coordination, joint exercises and cooperation in defence technology.

Egypt's potential participation had emerged as an important question in the run-up to the Makkah agreement. Turkish officials had indicated that Cairo could eventually join the new defence arrangement, given its military weight and strategic importance in the region. However, Egypt did not become a signatory when Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye concluded the pact in Makkah.

The upcoming four-way meeting therefore provides an opportunity to assess whether Egypt could have a role in the evolving regional security architecture without necessarily becoming a formal member of the defence pact.

For Pakistan, the Istanbul talks also come at a time when Islamabad is seeking to maintain close coordination with both Gulf Arab states and Türkiye while keeping its diplomatic channels open with other regional actors.

Officials familiar with the diplomatic process say the discussions are expected to cover the rapidly changing security situation in the Middle East, the future of the R-4 mechanism and ways of strengthening political and diplomatic coordination among the four countries.