Pakistan to denounce proposal to displace Palestinians at OIC FMs session in Jeddah

Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar (right) attends the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 7, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 05 March 2025
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Pakistan to denounce proposal to displace Palestinians at OIC FMs session in Jeddah

  • Deputy PM Ishaq Dar will attend meeting of OIC member state foreign ministers on Friday
  • Joint actions in response to the deteriorating conditions in Palestine at center of agenda

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will participate in a special meeting of foreign ministers of OIC member states set to take place in Jeddah on Friday, Radio Pakistan reported this week, where he will denounce an “unacceptable” proposal to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

US President Donald Trump has angered the Muslim world with a plan to permanently displace the population of more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, assert US control over the territory and turn it into an international beach resort. The plan has echoed long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes.

On Friday, the OIC will hold an Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss joint actions in response to the “deteriorating conditions” in Palestine due to ongoing Israeli aggression, continued violations of Palestinian rights, and calls for their displacement.

“At the session, Ishaq Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Palestinian cause and emphasize its principled position,” Radio Pakistan reported on Tuesday. “He will advocate for the full withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories, including Jerusalem, denounce the unacceptable proposal for further displacing Palestinians.”

Dar will also call for the restoration of the “inalienable rights” of the Palestinian people such as their right to return to their homeland and the establishment of a viable, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

This week, Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast to Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday Egypt had worked in cooperation with Palestinians on creating an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza after the end of the Israel-Gaza war. The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip’s affairs for a temporary period, in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority (PA), he said.

The other critical issue is the fate of the Palestinian group Hamas, the PA’s rival, whose October 7, 2023, attack on Israel killed 1,200 people with more than 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The attack led to the Israel’s military latest assault on Gaza, that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry. The assault has also displaced nearly Gaza’s entire population and led to accusations of genocide and war crimes that Israel denies.

Hamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, said in a statement it agrees to the Egyptian committee proposal.

Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent state of Palestine based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.


Islamabad rebuts claims of Pakistan being used as base for possible US strike on Iran

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Islamabad rebuts claims of Pakistan being used as base for possible US strike on Iran

  • Pakistan information ministry attributes the ‘reckless’ claims to ‘Afghanistan and Indian X accounts’
  • ’Blame-pushing narrative tries to drag Pakistan into a US-Iran conflict without any evidence,’ it adds

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday refuted reports claiming that its territory could be used as a base for a possible US military strike on Iran, calling the claims a “reckless” attempt to drag Pakistani into a US-Iran conflict.

The Pakistan information ministry’s fact check account on X attributed the claims to “propaganda machineries Afghanistan and Indian X accounts,” identifying handles that claimed the US has moved aerial refueling (KC-135R) and surveillance aircraft to Pakistan.

The ministry said X accounts, @KHoorasanM_U1, @RealBababanaras and @AFGDefense, claimed these US aircraft are conducting unusual flights toward or into Iranian airspace and that Pakistan is being used as a base to support US stealth fighters (F-35/F-22) in a possible military strike on Iran.

Citing Reuters and Washington Post, the information ministry noted that while US refueling aircraft movements have been reported, but they were mostly linked to Europe, and there is no credible proof of any US aircraft based in Pakistan or any operational flights to Iran for a possible strike.

“This is a reckless, blame-pushing narrative that tries to drag Pakistan into a US-Iran conflict without any verifiable evidence,” the information ministry said on its fact check account on X, urging people not to share sensational military stories from “propaganda pages.”

“For national security and defense matters, rely only on ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations), MoIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and reputable defense outlets.”

The development comes amid weeks of public unrest in Iran over worsening economic conditions and a government crackdown on protesters.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said at least 572 people have been killed, including 503 protesters and 69 members of security forces. It said more than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests.

The group relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information, AP reported.

With the Internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

US President Donald Trump last week threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran continued to kill protesters. He said late Sunday his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran but cautioned that he may have to act before then as reports of deaths mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the US military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

Separately, China said it opposes foreign “interference” in other countries.

“We always oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular news conference on Monday, when asked about Trump’s comments. “We call on all parties to do more things conducive to peace and stability in the Middle East.”