ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations will deliver a statement today, Friday, as the UN General Assembly holds the 62nd plenary on the occasion of the International Day To Combat Islamophobia.
The observance takes place on March 15 every year in 140 countries worldwide. The date, March 15, was chosen as it is the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings, in which 51 people were killed during Friday prayers in New Zealand.
The resolution to hold a day against Islamophobia was introduced at the UN by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and was unanimously adopted by the 193-member world body on Mar. 15, 2022. It was co-sponsored by 55 predominantly Muslim countries.
“Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram will deliver a statement on the occasion,” state-run APP said ahead of Friday’s UN gathering.
Separately, the Pakistan Ulema Council is holding a nationwide campaign today, Friday, to raise awareness and foster solidarity against discrimination targeting Muslims, the body said in a statement.
“Pakistan Ulema Council is set to lead the charge in commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on Friday with a nationwide campaign in a bid to raise awareness and foster solidarity against discrimination targeting Muslims,” the body said in a statement.
“The day holds significant importance, particularly for the PUC, which has long been at the forefront of advocating for religious tolerance and understanding.”
Speaking to media, PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi called upon religious scholars and leaders from all schools of thought to utilize their Friday sermons to highlight the significance of the day and emphasize the importance of religious diversity.
“The council’s initiative comes at a pivotal moment, aiming to dispel misconceptions, foster dialogue, and promote mutual understanding among different faith communities … the council’s commitment to combating discrimination aligns with the fundamental principles of human rights and religious freedom enshrined in international law,” Ashrafi was quoted in the statement as saying.
The chairman underscored the alarming rise of Islamophobia as a global threat to Muslims and said it was the collective responsibility of the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other international entities to spearhead initiatives aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination.
Pakistan’s permanent representative to address UNGA on international day against Islamophobia today
https://arab.news/v8bt9
Pakistan’s permanent representative to address UNGA on international day against Islamophobia today
- International Day To Combat Islamophobia takes place on March 15 every year in 140 countries worldwide
- March 15 was chosen as it is anniversary of Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 people were killed
Pakistan making diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions, FM says
- The statement came as Iran pressed on with a third day of strikes in the Gulf in response to US-Israeli air raids
- Pakistan’s position is clear that all countries must abide by principles of UN Charter, international law, FM says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is making diplomatic efforts to de-escalate heightened tensions in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Monday, amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s counterstrikes against US bases in Gulf countries.
Tensions escalated across the Middle East on Saturday after coordinated US-Israel strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei among other senior Iranian officials. Tehran responded by targeting US military bases in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. Saudi Arabia said Iran also launched attacks targeting Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
The Iranian missile and drone strikes continued on Monday in retaliation for the ongoing US-Israeli air raids, casting uncertainty over the future of the Islamic republic and heightening the risk of broader instability in the already volatile region.
Speaking at a press conference, FM Dar, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia where he attended an Organization of Islamic Cooperation OIC) meeting on Palestine, said Pakistan is very closely monitoring the evolving situation in Iran and the tensions which are building up in the region.
“These serious developments have taken place at a time when diplomatic efforts were underway to reach a peaceful and negotiated solution to [Iran nuclear program],” he said.
“We are making our full diplomatic efforts and, you know, requesting all parties to de-escalate and to refrain.”
Dar said Islamabad was concerned over a violation of the norms and international law, and the age-old tradition that the heads of state and the government should not be targeted.
“Post-World War II, we all know that these institutions were created to create some international, you know, law and order, and that’s why there was a UN Charter. There are certain conventions which we all are supposed to follow,” he said.
“But things are on ground moving very differently, which obviously is worrisome... The international law must prevail and the conventions must be respected.”
The statement came hours after the Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia sustained limited damage as a result of debris from the interception of two drones in its vicinity, the Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an official source at the Saudi Ministry of Energy.
Several American warplanes crashed in Kuwait on Monday morning but their crew survived, Kuwait’s defense ministry said, as Iran pressed on with a third day of strikes in the Gulf.
Dar said Pakistan’s position has been clear and persistent that all countries must abide by the principles of UN Charter and international law, including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states as well as international humanitarian law.
“In my latest conversation with [Iranian] Foreign Minister Abbas Araqshi on 28th of February, I conveyed Pakistan’s condemnation of the attacks and called for restraint and diplomacy and dialogue, which he positively responded,” he shared.
“But on ground, we are seeing that things are not yet settling or easing out.”
Pakistan stands in full solidarity with all its brotherly countries and underscores the need to exercise maximum restraint, according to FM Dar.
“This is a message we have been giving to whosoever prime minister speaks, whosoever I speak, or whosoever Field Marshal Asim Munir speaks to, his counterparts on the defense side,” he said.
