Pakistan’s top diplomat calls on OIC for cease-fire in Gaza

Pakistan’s Mohammad Ishaq Dar calls for a cease-fire in Gaza at the OIC Summit, supports Palestine’s U.N. membership, condemns human rights violations in Kashmir and calls for action against terrorism

At the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Gambia, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar urged the OIC to cooperate for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire in Gaza, which has witnessed Israeli military actions resulting in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, predominantly children and women.

Expressing deep concern over Israel’s continued military actions in Gaza and the West Bank, Dar called for uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.

Pakistan supports two-state solution

Dar also reiterated Pakistan’s support for the admission of Palestine as a full member of the U.N., the resumption of the peace process for a two-state solution and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.

Kashmir issue

On the other hand, Dar also highlighted alleged human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir, particularly following New Delhi’s revocation of the region’s longstanding special status in August 2019 and urged the OIC to implement its Plan of Action on Jammu and Kashmir.

He called on India to end all human rights violations, release pro-freedom leaders and roll back what Pakistan considers illegal demographic and unilateral laws.

Noting the growing Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims around the world, Dar urged the OIC to develop a joint strategy to work with global social media platforms to regulate profane, anti-Islamic and Islamophobic content.

Fight with ‘externally sponsored terrorism’

While Pakistan is the largest contributor to the fight against terrorism, it continues to face “externally sponsored terrorism” from beyond its borders, Pakistan’s top diplomat stressed.

 This was about recent terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, which Islamabad attributes to militants based in Afghanistan.

Kabul, however, denies these accusations.

The ongoing tensions over cross-border terrorism underscore the complex relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the challenges both countries face in effectively countering terrorism.

He also emphasized his country’s support for the revitalization and reform of the U.N. system, including the U.N. Security Council, to make it more representative, democratic and effective for global peace and security.

Source: AA