On Sunday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed Pakistan’s endorsement for the inclusion of Palestine as a complete member of the United Nations. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of restarting the peace negotiations to achieve a “viable, contiguous, and sovereign” Palestinian state based on the borders prior to 1967.
Dar, who serves as both the deputy prime minister and a senator, arrived in The Gambia on Wednesday to represent Pakistan at the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Banjul. In addition to participating in the OIC summit, he was scheduled to engage in bilateral meetings with officials from the member nations.
The recent attack on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7, followed by the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, has resulted in the deaths of nearly 35,000 Palestinians. This has led to extensive destruction of the region’s infrastructure and has caused a humanitarian crisis that is on the brink of famine.
During his speech at the OIC today, Dar called upon member states to collaborate towards achieving an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire and continuous provision of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians under siege”.
VerPakistan’s deep concern over Israel’s ongoing brutal bombardment of the Palestinian people in Gaza was expressed by him.
He condemned the increasing trend of Islamophobia and urged the OIC to develop a joint strategy to collaborate with global social media platforms in order to standardize their implementation of content regulation policies for blasphemous, anti-Islamic, and Islamophobic content.
The appointment of a Special Envoy on Islamophobia by the OIC was appreciated by the foreign minister.
He emphasized the significance of the OIC in global economic growth and urged them to work together to address the existential threat of climate change, which resulted in catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022.
Furthermore, he conveyed Pakistan’s support for revitalizing the UN system and reforming the UN Security Council to enhance its representation, democracy, and effectiveness in maintaining international peace and security.
Dar strongly criticized the increase in anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Islamophobic narratives coming from Indian politicians during the ongoing elections, stating that it posed a threat to regional stability.
He emphasized that Pakistan was still dealing with terrorism sponsored from outside its borders, despite being one of the leading contributors in the fight against terrorism.
Dar called on the OIC to take action on the situation in India-occupied Kashmir, urging them to demand an end to human rights violations, the release of Hurriyat leaders, and the reversal of illegal demographic and other unilateral laws by India.
He commended the OIC for their unwavering support for the Kashmir cause and urged them to use their influence to expedite the resolution of the India-occupied Kashmir issue in accordance with relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.
Dar and Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan converse about the relationship between their two countries.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during the 15th OIC Islamic Summit Conference in Banjul, The Gambia. The Foreign Office spokesperson mentioned that the two leaders had a discussion on the sidelines of the conference. They expressed their contentment with the progress made so far and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation, with a specific emphasis on the economic, trade, and defense sectors.
