Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday said Pakistan was making “full diplomatic efforts” to de-escalate the regional situation following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

“This recent escalation … has … significantly heightened tensions in an already volatile and fragile environment. We are making full diplomatic efforts and requesting all parties to de-escalate,” Dar said during a media briefing in Islamabad.

He recalled Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Austria and noted that he held discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that the “feedback was positive”.

He said that “serious developments” had taken place at a time when “diplomatic efforts were underway to reach a peaceful and negotiable … solution”.

“But what triggered all of a sudden engulfed … almost all countries,” he said.

He then referred to a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister on Sunday, which reviewed the regional environment and the situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Commenting on the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said: “We are concerned over the violation of norms as well as international law … that the heads of state and the government … have been targeted.”

The foreign minister said Pakistan had consistently urged that the door to dialogue and diplomacy must not be closed.

“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.

He also referred to his conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi last week and said, “I conveyed Pakistan’s condemnation of the attacks, called for diplomacy, restraint and dialogue, to which he positively responded.”

However, he said, on the ground, things were not settling down.

The foreign Minister also talked about the emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held on the situation in the Middle East, saying “Pakistan’s permanent representative at the UN also reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of the attack on Iran.”

The deputy prime minister further stated that he spoke with the foreign ministers of several countries in this regard.

“I think I have not talked to anyone who disagrees that dialogue and diplomacy are the only way forward, not only for this region but wherever there is any conflict,” he said.

“Pakistan also stands in full solidarity with all our brotherly countries and underscores the need to exercise maximum restraint,” he said, adding that this was the message Pakistan’s leadership was giving in conversations with others.

He acknowledged that while Iran’s retaliatory strikes were in self-defence, Pakistan regretted and condemned the strikes against Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

“We can’t have double standards,” he said. He said that while Iran had stated that it had attacked US bases in these countries, there was “no justification”.

He reiterated that the prime minister had also expressed deep regrets on the situation and called the leadership of the brotherly countries and requested them to exercise restraint.

“Developments in the last 72 hours [are] really very, very worrisome,” he said.

“In our outreach, at the leadership level, we have called for an immediate halt to escalation through the urgent resumption of diplomacy to achieve a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the crisis,” he said.

“Pakistan stands ready to extend support towards the peaceful resolution of outstanding issues,” he said.

He recalled the negotiations between the US and Iran — the previous round held last year and the latest round held in Geneva and Oman.

“Our effort has been to encourage both the US and Iran to engage in dialogue, diplomacy, and resolve the issue … We have been encouraging to make it viable, win-win for both the US and Iran. I think we are very close in counselling both countries on this subject.”

“They were both positive and forthcoming,” he said.

Dar said that Gulf countries hosted millions of Pakistanis, regretting the death of a Pakistani national in Iran’s attack on Abu Dhabi.

The foreign minister said Pakistan’s missions in the Gulf region were fully engaged with the diaspora and in close contact with local authorities for facilitation.

“Pakistan has always supported the cessation of hostilities, upholding international law, and principles of the UN Charter, and the resumption of diplomacy to find a peaceful and negotiated solution,” he added.

‘Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against Afghanistan in self-defence’

Talking about neighbouring Afghanistan, Dar maintained that Pakistan wanted good relations with all its neighbours, saying he had visited Afghanistan three times.

He said that in all engagements with Afghanistan, Pakistan had always demanded that Kabul stop its soil from being used for terrorism against other countries.

“We had only one demand, that please do not allow the Balochistan Liberation Army, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Majeed Brigade — which have been proscribed by many countries — or provide them facilitation,” he said.

The deputy PM then recalled “serious violations” that took place in October 2025, adding that soldiers were being martyred every week, which “is certainly not acceptable under any circumstances”.

He further said Pakistan had no choice but to launch Operation Ghazab lil-Haq after repeated terrorist attacks.

“We have the capacity, we have the will, we have the kinetic capability to handle it in a very meaningful way. But we have been exercising extreme restraint … to what has been happening.”

Dar recalled the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban held in Qatar and Turkiye after the October clashes. “But the outcome was nothing, nil,” he stated for both rounds of talks.

“So we had no choice but to launch Operation Ghazab lil-Haq in response to repeated terrorist attacks by Fitna Al Khawarij and Fitna Al Hindustan against Pakistan emanating from Afghan soil, as well as the recent unwarranted and provocative actions by the Afghan Taliban regime on the night of February 26,” Dar asserted.

Dar further said that the repeated terrorist activities originating from Afghan soil had “led us, forced us to now take it seriously”.

He recalled “high-profile” incidents, including the Islamabad court bombing, the coordinated BLA attacks across Balochistan and the February 6 imambargah suicide bombing.

“Pakistan has conclusive evidence that the recent acts of terrorism in Bajaur and Bannu were perpetrated by TTP at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers,” Dar asserted.

He added that prior to launching the ongoing operation, Pakistan “carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts on February 21”.

Dar said that Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq “in self-defence, carrying out precise and targeted operations against seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the TTP and IS-KP in Afghanistan”.

The deputy prime minister asserted that Pakistan’s “actions were proportionate, minimum and measured, with careful planning in order to make sure that only the terrorist camps and hideouts are hit and civilian populations should not be targeted”.

Dar mentioned there were “provocative actions by the Afghan Taliban on 53 locations across 15 sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” on the night of February 26.

“Now this is horrifying and this is totally lunatic,” he remarked, adding that such actions were “totally a no-go for Pakistan”.

He further said that Pakistan’s actions during the operation were “very cery careful”.

“In this operation, initially 22 locations in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika were subjected to aerial targeting and all these targets were military installations, which were carefully selected based on our intelligence,” Dar said.

“As a result of Pakistan’s befitting response to the Afghan Taliban regime, valiant forces targeted 37 locations in Afghanistan, 415 Taliban regime personnel and khwarij were eliminated, 182 posts destroyed, 31 posts captured, 185 tanks and armoured personnel carriers were destroyed,” he said.