BANJUL: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday expressed Pakistan’s serious concern over Israel’s ongoing brutal military onslaught against the innocent Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Against the backdrop of the genocide of Palestinians and atrocities of Israeli troops, Ishaq Dar urged the OIC member countries to work together for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian people.
Addressing the 15th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit Conference in Banjul, The Gambia, Ishaq Dar also expressed support for Palestine’s admission as a full member of the United Nations, resumption of the peace process for realization of the two-state solution and establishment of a contiguous, viable, and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a statement.
Underlining Indian atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), especially after India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, Ishaq Dar urged the OIC to implement its Action Plan on Jammu and Kashmir; demand that New Delhi end all human rights violations; release imprisoned Hurriyat leaders; and reverse its illegal demographic and other unilateral laws.
He commended the OIC for its principled support for the Kashmir cause and requested the OIC member nations to use their influence for urgent resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute according to the United Nations Security Council and the OIC resolutions.
Condemning the rising trend of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in different parts of the world, Dar urged the OIC to formulate a joint strategy to work with global social media platforms to harmonize their application of content regulation policies for anti-Islamic, blasphemous, and Islamophobic content.
He lauded OIC’s appointment of a Special Envoy on Islamophobia.
Anti-Pakistan Rhetoric by Indian Political Leaders
Dar also strongly condemned the surge in anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Islamophobic narratives by Indian political leaders during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections which threatened regional stability.
He said that Pakistan continued to face externally sponsored terrorism from across its borders, despite contributing the most to the war on terrorism.
Dar underscored that the OIC could play an important role in global economic growth.
He also urged the OIC to work collectively to address the major threat of climate change, which caused devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022.
He also expressed Pakistan’s support to revitalize the UN system and reform the UN Security Council – to make it more representative, democratic, and effective for global peace and security.
