12 March 2025, Islamabad(Kamran Raja): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar attended the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held on 7 March 2025 in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the session, DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause; urged immediate collective action to address the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people and safeguard their rights, including their right to return to their ancestral homeland; condemned the proposal of resettlement of Palestinians in other countries; underscored the imperative for the establishment of a sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital; and emphasized on the necessity of concrete measures to realize the two-State Solution as the only means of achieving lasting peace in the region.
On the margins of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, met with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Palestine, Dr. Mohammed Mustafa; Secretary General of OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha; Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates of Egypt, Badr Abdelatty; Advisor for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, Md. Touhid Hossain; Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov; and Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Sugiono. Pakistan unequivocally condemns the Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and halting of electricity supply to Gaza. We also condemn the continuing Israeli assault against the people of West Bank and Gaza, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women and children.
At a time when the people of Palestine are in urgent need of humanitarian relief and assistance, Israeli attempts to dismantle the operations of the humanitarian agencies including United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are unacceptable. Preventing these agencies including UNRWA from carrying out their vital tasks is a manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to weaponize humanitarian aid and dehumanize the people of Palestine. We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in West Bank and Gaza; protection of civilians; and unrestricted humanitarian access to those in urgent need. The international community must step in to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza. We also urge the international community to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Pakistan denounces the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the ‘Awami Action Committee’ and ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of five years. The ‘Awami Action Committee’ is led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022. The recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organizations to 16. Banning of different political parties and organizations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). It also reflects a desire to suppress the political activities and stifle dissent. It also shows sheer disregard of democratic norms and international human rights law. The Government of India is urged to remove the curbs on the Kashmiri political parties; release all political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.