ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will participate in the 11th D8 summit in Egypt next week where Israel’s military offensive on Gaza and the humanitarian crisis and reconstruction efforts in Lebanon will be at the center of discussions, the foreign office said.
The D8 Summit is a gathering of leaders from eight developing countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye. It aims to promote economic cooperation and development among member states, with a focus on areas like trade, energy, agriculture, and transportation.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 44,000 people and injured thousands more since Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Israel also stepped up its campaign in south Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas.
“Pakistan will be participating in the D8 summit being held in Cairo on Dec. 19,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly press briefing on Thursday. “The D8 summit will also have a special session on humanitarian crisis and reconstruction challenges in Gaza and Lebanon.”
She said Pakistan would also participate in the D8 Council of Ministers meeting, reaffirming that the South Asian nation supported the D8 agenda and would work toward the summit’s success.
The D8 summit was last held virtually in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme of this year’s summit is “investing in youth and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) shaping tomorrow’s economy.”
