Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departs for Turkiye on Tuesday, 10 November, to attend the COP31 climate conference, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stays back in Islamabad to open the Margalla Dialogue and the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum.

The summit opens on Wednesday in the historic city of Antalya and will be inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Foreign Secretary Asim Iftikhar Ahmad is likely to accompany the prime minister. The World Leaders' Summit at COP31 takes place on 11 and 12 November, within a conference running from 9 to 20 November.

Why Dar is staying in Islamabad

Highly placed diplomatic sources told The News on Monday that Dar had to stay back to inaugurate the Margalla Dialogue and the Minerals Forum in Islamabad, and that no other conclusion should be drawn from the development, as it would be difficult to postpone either event.

The two-day Margalla Dialogue 2026 starts on Tuesday in the federal capital and will be inaugurated by Senator Dar. Organised annually by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, its theme this year is "Global Order in Transition — Navigating Strategic Uncertainty", covering shifting global power dynamics, evolving alliances and major power competition.

What the dialogue will cover

The dialogue will cover regional geopolitics, national resilience, international law and economic security, including trade and tariff wars. One forum will discuss changing dynamics of global power and their implications for international peace and security, while another will discuss global security, algorithmic war, artificial intelligence redefining influence, sovereign AI, data regulations and technology risks.

Minerals forum follows on Thursday

Another significant gathering, the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum, starts in Islamabad on Thursday, 12 November. Dar will inaugurate it, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the concluding session on Friday, 13 November. The forum will be held at the Jinnah Convention Centre.

The forum is viewed as a strategic conference on policy and governance, covering exploration and projects such as Reko Diq, alongside an international exhibition for mining technology and ventures. Energy Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Robert Friedland of Ivanhoe Mines, John L. Thornton of Barrick Mining and Isabel Chatterton of the Asian Development Bank are among the key speakers.

What COP31 will focus on

COP31, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, runs in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries. Turkiye holds the COP presidency under Murat Kurum, its environment minister, while Australia's Chris Bowen leads the formal negotiations. Discussions will focus on turning existing climate commitments into action, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, expanding renewable energy and strengthening support for communities facing droughts, floods and rising sea levels.