ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has arrived in Turkiye to attend an extraordinary meeting of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers that aims to present a united front against Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.
Established since 1997, the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation, also known as D-8, is an organization for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye.
The organization aims to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, improve standards of living, and enhance participation in decision-making at international level.
Upon arrival in Istanbul, Deputy PM Dar was received by Deputy Governor of Istanbul Mustafa Asim Alkan and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Yousaf Junaid, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The D-8 Foreign Ministers will deliberate upon the shared responsibility of the international community to bring an urgent and unconditional ceasefire, and an end to the inhumane and unjustified war on the people of Gaza,” the report read.
The war on Gaza broke out after Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,100 people, in response to the deteriorating condition of the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation.
Israel launched a retaliatory offensive, widely viewed as disproportionate, in which more than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have lost their lives, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The D-8 member countries are expected to adopt a strong joint declaration regarding the developments in Gaza, according to Radio Pakistan. Deputy PM Dar will present Pakistan’s stance at the meeting.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza at the United Nations and demanded the world stop Israeli military actions in the Palestinian territory.
Pakistan Deputy PM arrives in Turkiye to attend D-8 meeting on Gaza situation
https://arab.news/nd5ab
Pakistan Deputy PM arrives in Turkiye to attend D-8 meeting on Gaza situation
- Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel and calls for independent Palestinian state
- The D-8 member countries are expected to adopt a strong joint declaration regarding the developments in Gaza
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
