By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Saudi Arabia to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on August 25-26, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, as tensions escalate over Israel’s planned military offensive in Gaza.
The announcement comes as Israeli planes and tanks bombarded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight from Saturday to Sunday, following Israel’s approval earlier this month of a plan to seize control of the city, which it describes as Hamas’ last stronghold. The offensive is not expected to begin for several weeks, leaving a window for mediators Egypt and Qatar to push for renewed ceasefire talks.
Dar, currently on a high-profile visit to Dhaka, the most significant by a Pakistani official to Bangladesh in recent years, will travel directly to Jeddah to participate in the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.
“The high-level meeting will bring together foreign ministers and senior officials from OIC member states to deliberate upon coordinated responses to the escalating developments in Palestine, resulting from ongoing Israeli military aggression, its proposed plans for full military control over Gaza and the continued egregious violations of Palestinians’ rights,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
The OIC, headquartered in Jeddah, is the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations, with 57 member states spanning four continents. It serves as a collective voice for the Muslim world, advocating for their interests in economic, social, and political spheres.
Pakistan, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, has consistently condemned Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where at least 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. The conflict has devastated the territory, leaving much of it in ruins and displacing nearly its entire population.
At the OIC meeting, Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and reiterate its principled stance, according to the foreign ministry.
“The DPM/FM will advocate for total withdrawal of Israel from all the Occupied Palestinian Territories; reject the outrageous Israeli plan for extending full military control over Gaza and further displacement of Palestinians; emphasize the urgent need of unhindered humanitarian assistance; and call for the restoration of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, most notably, the establishment of an independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-June 1967 borders,” the ministry’s statement said.
On the sidelines of the OIC meeting, Dar is expected to hold bilateral discussions with counterparts from key member states to further coordinate responses to the crisis.
The foreign ministry emphasized that Dar will strongly denounce Israel’s outrageous plan to occupy Gaza, urging the international community to address the ongoing violations of Palestinian rights and the worsening humanitarian situation in the territory.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
