INTERNATIONAL DESK — Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar addressing the Margalla Dialogue 2026 in Islamabad. Photo: X@PakTVGlobal ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said the " Makkah Joint Defence Agreement (MJDA) with Saudi Arabia and Turkey was a defensive arrangement directed against no country and aimed at promoting regional peace and stability.
Addressing the inaugural session of Margalla Dialogue 2026 in Islamabad, he said the agreement reflected Pakistan's commitment to collective security and credible deterrence. The agreement was "directed against no country" and "intended to contribute to regional peace and stability," he added. Turning to South Asia, the foreign minister said unresolved disputes, military asymmetries and unilateral actions continued to undermine strategic stability.
He said these conditions required restraint and responsible statecraft, adding that strategic uncertainty should not become a justification for strategic adventurism. “Pakistan's decisive and calibrated response to India's unprovoked aggression in May 2025 through Operation Bunyanun-Marsoos demonstrated a resolve and capability to defend our sovereignty,“ Dar said. Dar said, “I pay tribute to our armed forces for their professionalism and resolve in their defence of Pakistan.