Dr Zafar Khan<\/p>\n
At a time when the world seems increasingly willing to settle disputes through missiles rather than meetings, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s address to the United Nations carried a message Pakistan should be proud to repeat. His central argument was simple but important that war cannot become the world\u2019s default language. Diplomacy may appear slow and difficult, but once dialogue disappears, the alternatives are usually far more destructive. In a region already exhausted by conflict, Pakistan\u2019s call for negotiation, restraint and respect for international law deserves serious attention.
\nThe urgency of that message has grown with the widening confrontation involving the United States and Iran. Its consequences are no longer limited to the countries directly involved. The Middle East remains central to global energy supplies, trade and shipping, and any prolonged disruption around the Strait of Hormuz or Bab al-Mandab can affect economies far beyond the region. Pakistan therefore has a direct interest in preventing another conflict from becoming a wider regional crisis. The prime minister\u2019s description of these waterways as \u2018arteries of the global economy\u2019 captured precisely why their security cannot be treated as someone else\u2019s problem.
\nPakistan\u2019s attempt to facilitate communication between Iran and the United States is significant. Pakistan cannot decide the future course of the conflict, but it can provide something increasingly scarce in international politics: a channel for conversation. In a world filled with threats, sanctions and military deployments, keeping diplomatic doors open is itself valuable. Pakistan should continue using its relationships with different countries to encourage de-escalation, because peace is rarely achieved when everyone waits for the other side to make the first move.
\nThe prime minister\u2019s message on Saudi Arabia also reflected an important regional responsibility. Pakistan made clear its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its commitment to the security and sanctity of the Harmain Sharifain. His reference to the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye further highlighted Pakistan\u2019s emerging security relationships in the region. The challenge for all three countries is to ensure that collective security strengthens stability rather than contributing to another cycle of confrontation. Defence, after all, should ultimately serve peace.
\nPakistan\u2019s concerns with India remain equally serious, particularly over water. Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s warning that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan\u2019s share of the Indus waters would have grave consequences reflected the enormous importance of the issue. For Pakistan, the Indus system is not simply a matter of foreign policy. It sustains agriculture, food security, livelihoods and millions of lives. The Indus Waters Treaty has survived wars and political hostility for decades. Water must remain a source of life rather than becoming another weapon in an already difficult relationship.
\nKashmir was another central element of Pakistan\u2019s address. Islamabad reiterated its long-standing position on the dispute and its support for the right to self-determination claimed by Kashmiris. Afghanistan also remains a major concern, with Pakistan demanding effective and verifiable action against militant groups it says operate from Afghan territory. These issues cannot be separated from Pakistan\u2019s wider search for regional stability. A country surrounded by unresolved disputes and security challenges has little choice but to pursue diplomacy alongside its legitimate security interests.
\nAnd then there was Palestine, where Pakistan\u2019s position remains clear. The prime minister condemned the devastation in Gaza and the West Bank and reaffirmed support for the Palestinian people. Pakistan\u2019s decision not to remain seated during Israeli Prime Minister\u2019s UN address was another expression of that longstanding position. Gaza has demonstrated, once again, the devastating human cost of prolonged conflict and the failure of the international community to translate repeated calls for peace into a lasting political settlement.
\nYet the strongest message from Pakistan\u2019s UN appearance should not be about any single dispute. It should be about the kind of international order Pakistan wants to see. International law must matter. Treaties must matter. Dialogue must matter. The sovereignty and security of states must matter. And human life must matter more than the pursuit of military victory. These principles are difficult to uphold when powerful states themselves disagree about their application, but abandoning them would make an already dangerous world even more unpredictable.
\nPakistan cannot stop every war or resolve every dispute. It cannot determine what Washington and Tehran will do, settle Kashmir by itself, end the suffering in Palestine or transform Afghanistan overnight. But it can make its voice useful. It can build bridges rather than burn them, encourage dialogue rather than escalation, and use its relationships to keep diplomacy alive when others are losing faith in it.
\nThe message Pakistan delivered at the United Nations should not end with the speech itself. It should be carried into Pakistan\u2019s diplomacy beyond the General Assembly, where words must become sustained engagement. Pakistan has made its position clear: disputes must be addressed through dialogue, international law must be respected, and human life must not become the price of political ambition. In a world increasingly turning to force, Pakistan\u2019s most valuable contribution may be to keep reminding it that peace is still possible.<\/p>\n
The writer is Ph.D in Political Science and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad. His area of specialization is political development and social change. He can be reached at zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com and on X @zafarkhansafdar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr Zafar Khan At a time when the world seems increasingly willing to settle disputes through missiles rather than meetings, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s address to the United Nations carried a message Pakistan should be proud to repeat. His central argument was simple but important that war cannot become the world\u2019s default language. Diplomacy may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13244],"class_list":["post-569383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-article","tag-dr-zafar-khan"],"yoast_head":"\n