Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday opened the two-day Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad by underscoring the need for furthering multilateralism, promoting geo-economics in the regional context and strengthening the role of United Nations for coping with the challenges of a world faced with erosion of values and increase in unilateral bloc politics.
The theme of the Margalla Dialogue is, “The future of global order: Cooperation or confrontation,” organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) and brings in scholars, diplomats, policymakers and academicians from around the world.
President IPRI Lt Gen (retd) Majid Ehsan, while inaugurating the Dialogue, said that the 6th edition of Margalla Dialogue is an opportunity to look threadbare into issues and problems confronted with a world sliding towards multipolarity, and devise measures for cooperation and engagement. He referred to the age of social media where genuine and true information itself has become a dilemma, and moreover, the trends of populism are posing new challenges to the established order. He talked of 3Ds: de-dollarisation, democratisation and demilitarization, and said that the world is confronted with new-age mysteries such as climate change and development at par. He pointed out that rules-based order is in decay and that is more than enough to strike a new order for a collective better tomorrow.
Deputy Prime Minister Dar said that failing to maintain international peace and security is the biggest challenge, and cannot be abandoned half-way. He said that is why scepticism is on the rise, and people around the world are questioning the rationality behind the established order, as multinational institutions are weakening and financial forums are in a quandary to do the needful.
Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan is an ardent supporter of multilateralism and wants the challenges faced by the world be addressed by the United Nations and International Law, as he referred to Resolution 2788 of the world body initiated by Islamabad. He said that the OIC is the second biggest multilateral forum, and must come up with a role in this age of revulsion.
The deputy PM also mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Development Initiative, and praised it for ushering across the world a phase of trade and development. He said global financial institutions must further equitable development and reform for the collective good of all member states, so that sustainable development is attained. He, however, said that the policies of financial institutions should not be discriminatory.
Dar also highlighted the existential threat of climate change, and said that it cannot be delayed any further. He hoped that the upcoming Cop-30 Summit in Brazil will go a long way in addressing climatic challenges, and usher in a new hope for nature-impacted states.
Ishaq Dar also mentioned the richness and versatility of Pakistan in Rare Earth Minerals, and said that geo-economics is the way to go. He said that Pakistan stands for engagement with all in the region, so that the bounties of trade, connectivity and development can bolster.
The deputy PM said Pakistan also remains determined to capitalize on inherited advantages for the prosperity and betterment for people and the region by prioritizing geo-economics, which is one of the cardinal pillars of engagement with the international partners.
Dar said to break the vicious cycle of poverty and rising global inequality, we must confront the imbalances in international economic relations.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, while discussing cooperation or confrontation, said it is necessary to take a holistic view of developments around us. He said that India’s efforts to impose a new-normal of terror has failed, and the four-day war is a case in point.
He said India harbours expansionist designs against nine states in the region, including Tibet. He talked about Iran’s war with Israel, and said that the Jewish state has failed to achieve anything by attacking the Islamic Republic and Qatar. He pointed out that Israel was forced to negotiate with Hamas that it once wanted to exterminate.
He mentioned China as a rising power, and praised it for blanketing a trade canvas with more than 130 countries of the world. Mushahid mentioned that US President Donald Trump is not the representative of the traditional establishment, as he has deprioritized the relations with countries that were based on the cold awareness mentality.
Dr Victor Gao, Chair Professor at Soochow University, Vice-President of the Centre for China and Globalization, said that Pakistan has been the winner in the war with India, and the latter has lost convincingly. He said it is a tribute to the people of Pakistan, who stand for peace and cooperation in the region. He remarked, “in fact, it was a victory of Peace over War.” The Chinese scholar pointed out that, “it was indeed a wakeup call for the Indian military.”
Gao termed the bilateral relationship as China-Pakistan-Plus, and said that Islamabad should continue to play a positive role with the United States. He also said that "If you want to impose nuclear war on China, China will wipe you out with nuclear retaliation."
Dr Anastasia Associate Prof at St Petersburg University emphasised on the development and sustainability of the Eurasian security and connectivity architecture.
