Doha, October 20, 2026 : Pakistan’s Minister of Interior and Narcotics Control, Mohsin Raza Naqvi, has highlighted Qatar’s role in diplomatic efforts to promote peace, noting that Doha has continued to pursue dialogue rather than align itself with specific parties.
Speaking at the eighth edition of the Global Security Forum in Doha, Naqvi described the past several months as particularly challenging for the region. He warned that the conflict between Iran and the United States had raised serious concerns extending beyond the Middle East, with implications for global security.
He said Pakistan had also prioritised peaceful solutions, making efforts to ease tensions and bring the two sides to the negotiating table. He acknowledged the contributions of various parties in facilitating dialogue and advancing diplomatic engagement.
Naqvi noted that Pakistan hosted the Islamabad talks in April and signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in June. He added that Qatar and Pakistan subsequently participated as mediators at the Lake Lucerne Summit in Switzerland.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s position, the minister said Pakistan had consistently viewed dialogue as preferable to armed conflict. He also referred to the mutual defence agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Makkah, describing it as a measure aimed at defence rather than war.
He stressed that lasting peace cannot be achieved while neighbouring countries remain affected by conflict.
Addressing the impact of terrorism, Naqvi said Pakistan had paid a heavy price for insecurity, with thousands of citizens, soldiers and police officers losing their lives. He reaffirmed his country's continued commitment to combating terrorism and highlighted Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to international peacekeeping through the deployment of military and police personnel on United Nations missions.
The minister outlined three key lessons from recent developments: dialogue should remain possible for as long as circumstances allow, trust is essential to meaningful negotiations, and achieving peace requires genuine commitment from all parties.
Concluding his remarks, Naqvi said Pakistan remained committed to supporting dialogue, peace and cooperation, emphasising that securing peace was far more important than winning a war.
Source: QNA
