ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday condemned Israeli military actions in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria, calling for peace and security in the Middle East.
Dar said this while addressing a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization’s (ECO) Council of Foreign Ministers in Mashhad, Iran. The ECO is a political and economic intergovernmental organization that promotes economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among member states.
In his address with the summit, Dar denounced the Israeli “genocide” in Gaza and its aggression against Lebanon and Syria, saying it had endangered peace in the Middle East.
“We are concerned over the escalating hostilities in the Middle East, wherein Israel has endangered regional peace and security. The people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the wider region deserve to live free from fear and violence,” he said.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar addresses a summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization's (ECO) Council of Foreign Ministers in Mashhad on December 3, 2024. (Photo courtesy: MOFA)
“Pakistan reiterates its call to uphold peace and security in this region, safeguard Lebanon’s and Syria’s sovereignty, and put an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine.”
Since Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 43,000 people and injured thousands more. Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Iran and Syria have also heightened fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has so far dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza and Lebanon, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Gaza and Lebanon’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
