ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Executive Committee in Jeddah today, Wednesday, called to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in Palestine, the Pakistani foreign office said.
The meeting was convened on requests by Palestine and Iran to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestine and other regional states. Almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military campaign in Gaza triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year.
Upon arrival at the Madinah airport on Tuesday, FM Dar was received by Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ahmad Farooq, and Saudi foreign ministry director-general in Madinah, Ibrahim bin Muhammad Saeed Al-Sobhi, according to the Pakistani foreign office.
“As one of the staunchest supporters of the Palestinian cause, Pakistan has always been at the forefront in raising its voice at all international fora, including the OIC,” the foreign office said in a statement.
Dar would use the meeting to present Pakistan’s “serious concerns about the dire situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East region,” according to the foreign office.
“He will emphasize the urgency of peace and provision of relief assistance to the people of Gaza,” it said. “On the sidelines, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other OIC member states.”
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with 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.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the OIC and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza. The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Pakistani FM to attend OIC special meeting on Palestine today in Jeddah
https://arab.news/pkvsy
Pakistani FM to attend OIC special meeting on Palestine today in Jeddah
- Meeting convened by State of Palestine and Iran to discuss ‘Israeli aggression against Palestine and other regional states’
- Dar will use OIC meeting to present Pakistan’s ‘serious concerns about dire situation in Gaza and wider Middle East region’
Islamabad court grants Imran Khan anticipatory bail in six cases
- Court says allegations fall within ‘further inquiry,’ finds little material beyond FIRs
- Khan’s wife’s pre-arrest bail also confirmed in Toshakhana receipt forgery case
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in six separate cases ranging from alleged incitement and defamation to road blocking and violation of public order.
Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka of the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad confirmed Khan’s interim pre-arrest bail in the cases, ordering him to furnish fresh bail bonds of Rs50,000 ($178) in each case.
Khan, 73, has been in prison since his arrest from his Lahore residence in August 2023. His wife, Bushra Imran, has also been detained and is being held at a high-security jail in Rawalpindi in connection with a graft case linked to Pakistan’s state gifts repository, commonly known as the Toshakhana.
In one of the cases related to protests that followed his brief detention on graft charges in 2023, the court noted there was no material linking him to acts attributed to co-accused.
“No material is available against petitioner regarding act of provoking which was witnessed by any witness,” the court order said.
The May 9, 2023, violence was carried out by people holding Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) flags who attacked and set ablaze government and military properties, triggering a sweeping crackdown against the party and the arrest of hundreds of its supporters.
In the six cases decided on Tuesday, the court repeatedly observed that there was “nothing on record” beyond the first information reports (FIRs) to substantiate allegations under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including provisions related to abetment, public mischief and defamation.
In multiple orders, the judge ruled that the offenses fell within the “ambit of further inquiry” and confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail already granted to Khan.
The cases included allegations of making defamatory remarks against senior military officials in televised speeches, promoting unrest and violating restrictions on public gatherings.
In one of the cases, the court also confirmed the pre-arrest bail of his wife, Bushra Imran, in a separate Toshakhana-related case alleging forgery and use of fake purchase receipts for state gifts.
The former premier has been entangled in a slew of legal cases since his ouster from office in 2022, a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan. Khan and PTI say the cases are politically motivated and aimed at keeping him out of the political arena. The government denies the allegation.
