ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned two high-profile recent militant assaults in Pakistan, saying the attacks “will never shake or weaken” the nation’s resolve to fight terrorism and calling for renewed global commitment to dialogue and cooperation.
At least 12 people were killed and 36 injured in a suicide blast outside a district court in the Pakistani capital on Tuesday.
The attack followed an attempted assault by militants on a cadet college in Wana, in the northwestern South Waziristan district, a day earlier. Both incidents came amid a surge in violence linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an outlawed group that Islamabad says operates from Afghanistan. Kabul denies this.
“Pakistan categorically rejects acts of terrorism in all forms and manifestations, whether they take place in Islamabad, as we witnessed yesterday, or anywhere else in the world,” Dar said in his address at the Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference in Islamabad, organized by Pakistan’s Senate to promote dialogue among legislatures from around the world.
“These cowardly acts will never weaken our national resolve. They reaffirm our conviction that dialogue, understanding, and partnership are the only sustainable path to peace and security.”
Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks, particularly by the TTP, since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad says many TTP leaders and fighters have taken refuge across the border and accuses Afghan authorities of failing to prevent cross-border incursions. They reject the charge, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are a domestic issue.
Dar said the recent attacks underscored that terrorism “recognizes no boundary, religion, gender, ethnicity or race,” adding that such violence demanded a united international response.
He warned that the world was undergoing a “profound global transformation,” with geopolitical rivalries, economic divides, climate crises and terrorism “threatening the cooperative spirit that sustained peace for decades.”
“Multilateralism must not only be preserved, it must be revitalized through openness, inclusion and the active participation of people’s representatives,” the deputy PM said. “We must rebuild trust in international cooperation based on dialogue, diplomacy, mutual respect and shared responsibility.”
Dar said forums like the Speakers’ Conference were crucial to restore faith in global institutions, adding that peace, security and development “go hand in hand.” He urged governments to ensure accountability and inclusion so that “the benefits of peace and growth reach all people.”
The two-day Inter‑Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC) in Islamabad has drawn parliamentary delegations from more than 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Among the nations represented are Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Palestine, Algeria, Barbados, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Tajikistan, Morocco and the Maldives.
The conference, organized under the auspices of the Senate of Pakistan and chaired by Yusuf Raza Gilani, is convening under the theme “Peace, Security and Development” and is seen by Islamabad as a key vehicle to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and global cooperation.
