- Deputy PM says Pakistan’s economy showing ‘clear signs of improvement’ allowing govt shifted its primary focus towards public welfare
- Terms $500m minerals agreement, Saudi defence pact historic steps, stressing Islamabad continues raising voice for Kashmir and Palestine at world stage
LONDON: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Sunday said that Pakistan’s government has shifted its primary focus towards prosperity and public welfare, as the country moves from a phase of economic crisis to visible stability.
“Pakistan has successfully averted the looming threat of default and that now the national economy was showing “clear and encouraging signs of improvement…. The government’s efforts are now centred on creating opportunities that directly benefit the people,” Deputy PM Dar declared while speaking to media representatives in the London on Sunday.
The foreign minister underscored Pakistan’s active role in international diplomacy, noting that Islamabad had consistently raised its voice for the just causes of Kashmir and Palestine at every international forum. He pointed to strengthened cooperation with countries such as Türkiye and Indonesia, and said Pakistan’s global standing had improved due to its constructive and more proactive role in world affairs.
Dar also highlighted economic partnerships, revealing that Pakistan had expanded its relations with several countries, including the United States. He cited the recent signing of a $500 million agreement in the mines and minerals sector as evidence of growing foreign interest in Pakistan’s economic potential.
The deputy prime minister described Pakistan’s new defence agreement with Saudi Arabia as a “historic development,” reaffirming Islamabad’s longstanding and unwavering commitment to the protection of the Haramain Sharifain. He said Saudi Arabia had always stood by Pakistan in testing times, and reiterated Pakistan’s respect for the sovereignty and dignity of all nations.
Earlier, while addressing the inaugural meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Afghanistan, Dar voiced Pakistan’s serious concerns over the presence of more than two dozen terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. He urged the Afghan interim authorities to take “concrete and verifiable action” to prevent the use of Afghan territory for terrorism, particularly against neighbouring countries like Pakistan.
FM Dar specifically named groups including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Majeed Brigade, and Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), warning that these outfits were actively collaborating with Al-Qaeda and posed a “grave threat” to regional and international peace and security.
He reminded the forum that Pakistan had paid a heavy price for cross-border militancy. “Our law enforcement personnel and civilians continue to make enormous sacrifices to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Earlier this month, 12 Pakistani soldiers were martyred in our bordering regions while combating TTP terrorist infiltrators,” Dar stated.
The deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to counterterrorism at home and its resolve to continue working with the OIC, neighbouring states, and the wider international community for peace, stability, and development in the region.
