BANJUL (Gambia): As the foreign ministers of OIC countries gathered ahead of the Islamic Summit in the Gambia, Pakistan called for declaration of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, the lifting of inhuman siege, and the opening of a humanitarian corridor, besides urging the international community to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes in Gaza.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, in his address at a preparatory meeting of foreign ministers for the 15th session of the Islamic Summit Conference held on Thursday, also called for an end to indiscriminate use of force and return of the displaced people.

Mr Dar also emphasised the UN Security Council’s role in implementing its Resolution 2728 for cessation of hostilities, asking Israel to halt all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and relinquish all usurped Palestinian properties.

During the meeting, Pakistan was unanimously elected Vice-Chair of the Bureau of Foreign Ministers Preparatory Meeting for the 15th Islamic Summit of the OIC.

Mr Dar expressed Pakistan’s deep concern over the ongoing genocide and starvation of the Gaza people and called for reactivation of the OIC’s Ministerial Committee on Israeli aggression against Palestinians, offering Pakistan’s assistance to the body in this regard.

The deputy prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and said the only permanent solution to the current crisis lies in the creation of a secure, viable, contiguous, and sovereign state of Palestine based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

He condemned the oppressive actions in held Kashmi and pledged Pakistan’s unwavering diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination as mandated by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Mr Dar stressed the need for joint action by the OIC to confront the rising Islamophobia, which was manifested by an increasing number of incidents of discrimination, violence, and incitement against Muslims around the world.

The deputy prime minister urged the OIC to formulate a joint strategy to influence global information networks and platforms, particularly social media platforms.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024