ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan possesses “very large” and “effective” armed forces which have repeatedly proven their strength in conventional warfare, adding that the country would fulfill its responsibilities as part of the Muslim ummah if a united body were formed in the Middle East to counter Israeli aggression.
Dar was speaking to Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javed in an interview published late on Monday night, recorded ahead of an Arab-Islamic summit on Israel’s strikes in Qatar.
He was asked about the possibility of Muslim nations creating a collective body, outside of the United Nations framework, to intervene in Gaza.
Responding, the minister suggested that a mechanism similar to the UN Security Council could be established, recalling how the UN had imposed “very serious sanctions on countries that don’t listen.” He described such measures as causing “severe economic dent or pain.”
Dar noted that discussions among Arab countries and the Arab League had touched upon the idea of a “combined security force.” He remarked, “Why not? What’s wrong with that? They should [have a combined force].
And according to their own capacity, own strength, they should create some mechanism. Not for aggression, but for peaceful purposes, for stopping the aggressor, for stopping the occupier, for stopping someone who just doesn’t listen.”
When asked what role a “nuclear-powered Pakistan” would play, Dar replied, “Nuclear-powered Pakistan, obviously, as a member of the ummah, would discharge its duty.” He clarified that Pakistan views nuclear weapons only as a deterrent and has no intention of using them.
Instead, he stressed the strength of the country’s armed forces, saying: “Pakistan has a very large, known, very effective army, very effective air force, very effective navy … We have proved that we can beat [our opponent] even conventionally, if challenged.”
The interviewer referenced Israel’s remarks at a recent UN Security Council debate, where it invoked the 2011 US operation in Abbottabad to justify its strikes in Gaza. Asked how Pakistan would react if attacked, Dar asserted, “We would not allow the breach of our territorial integrity, no matter by whom, be it the smallest or the largest country. We would respond. But I don’t see any reason why the US or any other country would do it. India did it. You saw what happened to them.”
On whether the United States remained a trustworthy security partner given its inaction against Israel’s strikes in Qatar, Dar pointed to Washington’s “positive role” in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during their May escalation.
Commenting on Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders in Doha, Dar said the attacks on Qatar were “totally baseless” as the country was mediating negotiations for Gaza along with the US and Egypt. He branded Israel’s conduct “rogue,” adding that international laws and UN resolutions seemed to have “no effect on one country, which is repeatedly doing what it feels like.”
“The multilateral system needs very serious reforms right now,” Dar continued. “The UN Security Council is meant to maintain peace in the world. And if its resolutions are just put in the bin, as it is happening since so many years — by Israel in Gaza and Palestine and by India in Kashmir — what do we expect from the multilateral system?”
Dar maintained that all states, regardless of size, deserved equal dignity and respect. Referring to India, he said, “Some country had claimed to have hegemony, to be the net security provider, to be the captain of the entire region. You saw what happened between May 7 and 10. It’s all settled. The hegemony is buried,” he remarked, citing the four-day armed escalation earlier this year.
On the question of Gaza, Dar said Pakistan believed diplomacy and dialogue were the best course but warned that sincerity was required for talks to succeed. “If you are not willing to sit at the table, if you are not sincere and have negative and evil designs of expansionism […] then you will never be sincere about the dialogue.”
Asked whether Israel could next target Pakistan after Qatar, Dar said India had already tried, with Israel’s support “according to our information,” but the world had witnessed the outcome. “We are ready. Again, I repeat, we want peace. The nuclear-armed state does not want any destabilisation in the region because that will have consequences beyond [the region],” he said.
Concluding, Dar stressed the need for reforms in the enforcement of UN Security Council resolutions, arguing that mechanisms for “practical measures” were needed if countries continued to ignore them. “And that might require physical actions, physical interventions,” he added.
