ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday to take part in a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers being held to discuss the situation in Palestine amid Israel’s looming takeover of Gaza, the foreign office said.
The OIC CFM from Aug. 25-26 takes place in Jeddah as Israel forces ramp up operations in Gaza, after its security cabinet this month approved a plan by Benjamin Netanyahu for Gaza’s military occupation. The move drew sharp condemnation and protests from several countries around the world, who urged the international community to rein in Israel from occupying Gaza by force.
Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, was received at the King Abdulaziz International Airport Jeddah by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to OIC Ambassador Fawad Sher, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq and Pakistan’s Consul General in Jeddah Khalid Majid.
“The Extraordinary Session will bring together foreign ministers and senior officials from the OIC member states to deliberate on coordinated responses to the escalating developments in Palestine, arising from the ongoing Israeli military aggression, proposed plans for full military control over Gaza, and the continuing egregious violations of Palestinian rights,” the foreign office said.
In an earlier statement on Sunday, the foreign office said Dar would advocate for Israel’s total withdrawal from all Palestinian territories; reject the “outrageous” Israeli plan for extending full military control over Gaza and further displacement of Palestinians at the OIC meeting.
It added that Dar would also emphasize on the urgent need of” unhindered humanitarian assistance” for the people of Palestine, and push for the establishment of an independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The foreign office said Dar was expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from OIC member states at the sidelines of the summit.
Headquartered in Jeddah, the OIC is the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations, with a membership of 57 states across four continents. It serves as a collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interests in economic, social, and political spheres.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israel’s war on Gaza that has killed at least 62,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, left much of the territory in ruins and internally displaced nearly its entire population.
