• Says May conflict tested India’s hegemony claims, revived Kashmir issue
• Praises US role in ceasefire, insists ties on positive trajectory
• Highlights ‘major breakthrough’ in ties with Bangladesh

KARACHI: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday outlined Pakistan’s diplomatic engagements in 2025, stressing that Islamabad’s international standing had improved through “proactive and principled diplomacy” and highlighting the May conflict with India, renewed regional outreach and warming ties with major powers as key milestones.

“A strong message was sent to the world,” he told reporters in Islamabad while giving an overview of Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in 2025.

Pakistan’s “international standing has improved” due to “principled, proactive and result-oriented diplomacy”, he said, adding that when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took oath last year, Pakistan was widely seen as “diplomatically isolated”.

Referring to the four-day escalation in May, Mr Dar said India’s claims of regional hegemony and of being a “net security provider” were tested during the conflict. “We did not ask anyone to mediate between us,” he asserted.

Mr Dar said Pakistan shot down seven Indian jets during the May 7 air battle, stressing that New Delhi later issued “incorrect” statements alleging that Pakistan had attacked 15 Indian military installations. He also credited Pakistan’s air defence capabilities, saying 79 of 80 drones sent by India were intercepted within 36 hours.

He said Pakistan had remained “proactively engaged” after both the Pulwama and Pahalgam incidents.

He alleged that India had been signalling “mala fide intentions” regarding Indus waters, claiming New Delhi had been corresponding with Pakistan over the past one and a half to two years to argue that “ground realities have changed”.

Giving details of the May events, Mr Dar said the civil-military leadership, led by PM Shehbaz, had authorised certain decisions in a meeting on the night of May 9. He said India then “made the mistake” of attacking the Nur Khan Airbase in the early hours of May 10, prompting Pakistan’s retaliatory operation.

“After [the Pahalgam attack on] April 22, we used to have long hours. From May 6 to 10, we used to be here at night too,” Mr Dar said, adding that he conducted over 60 phone calls with foreign dignitaries before May 6 and after that.

Mr Dar also referred to conversations with diplomats from major powers, saying he had told one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council that claims could be verified in a “digital world”. He claimed the country later informed him that Pakistan had not conducted the attacks India alleged.

Describing his exchanges with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr Dar said he received a call at around 8.17am (on May 10) in which Mr Rubio conveyed that India was ready for a ceasefire and asked whether Pakistan would agree. “I said we never wanted to go to war,” Mr Dar said.

He said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan later contacted him, sought permission to speak with India and subsequently confirmed that a ceasefire had been agreed.

“It has been established that Pakistan’s armed forces, its technology and its capacity for defence are very solid,” Mr Dar said, adding that Pakistan had acted in self-defence.

“Allah made (Pakistan) a nuclear power and a missile power. What we need now is economic power,” he stressed, highlighting that the country possessed great natural resources, such as mines and minerals, gas and hydrocarbons.

He reiterated Pakistan’s position that lasting peace in the region was linked to a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He also criticised New Delhi’s actions in India-occupied Kashmir, including demographic changes and constitutional amendments.

Mr Dar said the May episode had revived the Kashmir issue at the international level, including discussion at the UN Security Council of matters related to human rights in India-occupied Kashmir.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, he said the Foreign Office had engaged with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, among others.

Ice breaks with Bangladesh

Mr Dar also said ties with Bangladesh had witnessed a “major ice-breaking breakthrough”, stressing that engagement had remained limited for years due to an “anti-Pakistan” government in Dhaka.

“My 36-hour visit to Bangladesh was very engaging. I had meetings with the chief executive, the foreign minister and cabinet ministers and advisers,” he observed. “I saw great gestures of goodwill for Pakistan,” he said, adding that Islamabad would proactively engage with Dhaka after Bangladesh’s February polls.

Positive ties with US

Mr Dar also praised the United States’ “proactive role” in the Pakistan-India ceasefire and insisted that this was the reason that on June 11, Islamabad had nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize 2026.

“The media had confusion on the date. I signed the letter on the authorisation of the prime minister and sent it,” he said.

“President Trump trumpeted the drum of May conflict success the most,” Mr Dar quipped. “Around 60 times, he reiterated that Pakistan shot down six fighter jets of India. Then he praised the prime minister and the field marshal. The relations with the US have started again towards a positive trajectory.”

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025