ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza where Israeli forces have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians since October and reduced the enclave to a wasteland.
Dar is in Jordan for the ‘Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza’ conference jointly organized by Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dar met Guterres and commended his leadership and proactive role in raising concerns over the war in Gaza on the international stage.
“Reiterating Pakistan’s strong and unequivocal condemnation of the indiscriminate and brutal use of force by Israel against the Palestinians, the Deputy Prime Minister called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza, return of the displaced Palestinians, and ensuring accountability for the war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by Israel,” the foreign office said in a statement.
The United Nations Security Council on Monday backed a proposal outlined by US President Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and urged the Palestinian group to accept the deal aimed at ending the eight-month-long war.
Hamas welcomed the adoption of the US-drafted resolution and said in a statement that it was ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan “that are consistent with the demands of our people and resistance.”
Russia abstained from the UN vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution supporting a three-phase ceasefire plan laid out by Biden on May 31 that he described as an Israeli initiative.
The resolution welcomes the new ceasefire proposal, states that Israel has accepted it, calls on Hamas to agree to it and “urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Pakistani deputy PM calls for ceasefire in meeting with UN chief on sidelines of Gaza conference
https://arab.news/z7cvs
Pakistani deputy PM calls for ceasefire in meeting with UN chief on sidelines of Gaza conference
- Dar is in Amman for ‘Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza’ conference
- Around 37,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in eight-month-long war
Pakistan says $50 million meat export deal with Tajikistan nearing finalization
- Islamabad expects to finalize agreement soon after Dushanbe signals demand for 100,000 tons
- Pakistan is seeking to expand agricultural trade beyond rice, citrus and mango exports
ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan has expressed interest in importing 100,000 tons of Pakistani meat worth more than $50 million, with both governments expected to finalize a supply agreement soon, Pakistan’s food security ministry said on Tuesday.
Pakistan is trying to grow agriculture-based exports as it seeks regional markets for livestock and food commodities, while Tajikistan, a landlocked Central Asian state, has been expanding food imports to support domestic demand. Pakistan currently exports rice, citrus and mangoes to Dushanbe, though volumes remain small compared to national production, according to official figures.
The development came during a meeting in Islamabad between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and Ambassador of Tajikistan Yusuf Sharifzoda, where agricultural trade, livestock supply and food-security cooperation were discussed.
“Tajikistan intends to purchase 100,000 tons of meat from Pakistan, an import valued at over USD 50 million,” the ambassador said, according to the ministry’s statement, assuring full facilitation and that Islamabad was prepared to meet the demand.
The statement said the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in meat and livestock, fresh fruit, vegetables, staple crops, agricultural research, pest management and standards compliance. Pakistan also proposed strengthening coordination on phytosanitary rules and establishing pest-free production zones to support long-term exports.
Pakistan and Tajikistan have long maintained political ties but bilateral food trade remains below potential: Pakistan produces 1.8 million tons of mangoes annually but exported just 0.7 metric tons to Tajikistan in 2024, while rice exports amounted to only 240 metric tons in 2022 out of national output of 9.3 million tons. Pakistan imports mainly ginned cotton from Tajikistan.
