Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday expressed deep concern over the prevailing security situation in the region and the Middle East, saying Pakistan remained firmly committed to a peaceful, negotiated resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.
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Pakistan → express → law
Speaking at an informal meeting of the ECO Council of Ministers in New York, he said the sincerity and dedication of Pakistan’s leadership had led it to engage closely with “brotherly countries and partners” to facilitate peaceful outcomes.
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sincerity → speak → outcomes
“These efforts have yielded tangible progress, which we must now consolidate and preserve,” he said.
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he → yield → which
Dar said Pakistan remained determined to stay constructively engaged in the endeavour, adding that ECO member states must harness their collective strength to promote peace, resilience, solidarity and shared prosperity for nearly half a billion people.
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states → say → people
He said the region stood at a critical juncture, facing significant challenges alongside unprecedented opportunities.
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region → say → opportunities
Climate change was placing growing pressure on water and food security, while emerging connectivity corridors offered the prospect of linking Central and South Asia and unlocking the region’s economic potential.
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corridors → place → potential
Dar said the ECO required stronger political commitment and institutional reforms to respond effectively to these challenges.
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ECO → say → challenges
He called for a review and streamlining of the ECO Secretariat and affiliated institutions to ensure their mandates and structures remained responsive to evolving political and economic realities.
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mandates → call → realities
“Our shared objective must be to transform the ECO region into a more integrated, dynamic and competitive region within the Global South,” he said.
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he → share → South
He said Pakistan, as chair of the ECO Council of Ministers for 2026-27, would focus particularly on trade and economic integration, connectivity and transit, trade facilitation and climate resilience.
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Pakistan → say → trade
The deputy prime minister noted that despite covering around eight million square kilometres and being home to nearly half a billion people, the ECO region accounted for only around 2.2 per cent of global trade, while intra-regional trade remained approximately 8pc of total regional trade.
“These figures underscore the considerable untapped potential,” he said, calling for the experience of successful regional organisations to be used to deepen economic integration.
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experience → note → integration
On connectivity and transit, Dar said strengthening transport networks, harmonising customs procedures and improving transit systems must remain central to the ECO agenda.
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strengthening → say → agenda
He called for the accelerated operationalisation of key corridors linking Central Asia with ports on the Arabian Sea, saying Pakistan was ready to serve as a gateway for the region by leveraging its strategic location and liberalised visa regime to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
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Pakistan → call → people
On trade facilitation, he said the ECO Trade Agreement remained an important instrument for regional economic integration.
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Agreement → say → integration
“We should build on the roadmap adopted by ECO trade ministers in November 2025 and move towards a functional and digitally enabled ECO Free Trade Area that expands market access, supports businesses and promotes innovation,” he said.
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he → build → innovation
Dar also highlighted climate change as a serious and growing threat to water security, agriculture and livelihoods in the region.
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Dar → highlight → region
He called for stronger cooperation on disaster risk reduction, climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable energy and adaptation.
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He → call → reduction
He expressed confidence that the informal Council of Ministers meeting would provide fresh impetus to the regional agenda and help translate common aspirations into practical outcomes.
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meeting → express → outcomes
As Pakistan prepares to host the 30th ECO Council of Ministers meeting in Islamabad in November, Dar said Islamabad looked forward to working closely with all member states and the ECO Secretariat.
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Islamabad → prepare → states
He also said Pakistan was advancing the Strategic Goals of Economic Cooperation 2026-2035, which would provide a framework for regional cooperation over the coming decade.
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which → say → decade
The deputy prime minister appreciated ECO Secretary General Dr Asad Majeed Khan and the ECO Secretariat for their efforts to advance the organisation’s agenda.
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minister → appreciate → agenda
“Pakistan regards ECO as a vital platform for regional cooperation and a cornerstone of our shared aspirations in Asia,” he said, adding that the task was to translate the region’s collective potential into greater connectivity, deeper economic integration and shared prosperity.
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task → regard → connectivity
Later, the Foreign Office (FO) also shared Dar’s statement issued at the meeting.
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Office → share → meeting
Afghanistan
Dar also emphasised the importance of peace and stability for regional prosperity and development, saying terrorism emanating from Afghan soil undermined these efforts.
“Pakistan has always desired a peaceful, prosperous and stable Afghanistan that is fully integrated into the region and is at peace with itself and its neighbours,” he said, adding that this was aligned with Pakistan’s foreign policy goals of peace, development and regional integration.
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this → emphasise → peace
He said Pakistan had pursued and advocated constructive engagement with the Taliban regime, extending bilateral and transit trade concessions to Afghanistan and pursuing the signing of a framework agreement for a feasibility study on the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway project.
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Pakistan → say → project
“Pakistan’s only expectation was for the Taliban regime to address our legitimate security concerns,” Dar said, adding that Islamabad expected concrete and verifiable action against the TTP, BLA and their affiliates, which he said continued to threaten Pakistan’s sovereignty and the lives of its citizens.
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he → address → citizens
“We believe that peace and development in the region can only be achieved with the elimination of the terrorist threat from Afghanistan,” he said.
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he → believe → Afghanistan
The Aporia
