Anti-Pakistan rhetoric during India polls threat to Muslims, peace: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar Sunday strongly condemned the surge in anti-Pakistan rhetoric and Islamophobic narratives by India’s political leaders during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, which threatened the regional stability. Addressing the 15th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit conference in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, he highlighted that Pakistan continued to face externally sponsored terrorism from across its borders, despite contributing the most to the fight against terrorism.

The foreign minister also expressed Pakistan’s deep concern over Israel’s ongoing military onslaught against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. In the backdrop of the genocide of Palestinians and atrocities of Israeli forces, he urged the OIC member states to work together for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinians.

He expressed Pakistan’s support for Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN, resumption of the peace process for realisation of the two-state solution and establishment of a viable, contiguous and sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release.

Highlighting Indian atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), especially after India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, the deputy prime minister urged the OIC to implement its action plan on Jammu and Kashmir, demanding that India should end all human rights violations, release Hurriyat leaders and reverse its illegal demographic and other unilateral laws.

He appreciated the OIC over its principled support for the Kashmir cause and requested the OIC member countries to use their influence for urgent resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.

Condemning the rising trend of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in various parts of the world, the foreign minister urged the OIC to formulate a joint strategy to work with global social media platforms to harmonise their application of content regulation policies for blasphemous, anti-Islamic and Islamophobic content. He appreciated OIC’s appointment of a special envoy on Islamophobia.

The deputy prime minister and foreign minister underscored that the OIC could play an important role in global economic growth. He urged the OIC to work collectively to address the existential threat of climate change, which caused catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022. The deputy prime minister also expressed Pakistan’s support to revitalise the UN system and reform the UN Security Council “to make it more representative, democratic, and effective for international peace and security”.

Also, during a meeting on the sidelines of the summit conference, Ishaq Dar and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zheng Jianbang expressed their determination to complete all China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and further upgrade cooperation to achieve shared objectives. Dar reiterated Pakistan’s firm support to China’s core issues and underscored the importance of enhanced mutually productive ties through close economic collaboration and cooperation.

Zheng Jianbang reaffirmed China’s support to Pakistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and development, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release. Dar and Zheng also discussed China’s growing relationship with the OIC and underlined the importance of dialogue and understanding for mutual peace and prosperity.

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Foreign Minister of Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov Sunday exchanged views on bilateral relations and resolved to further deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including trade, connectivity, energy and people-to-people contacts.

In a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 15th OIC Islamic summit conference, the two sides also noted the importance of deepening dialogue and engagement, especially at the political level, the FO spokesperson said in a press release.

Dar congratulated Azerbaijan on winning the bid to host COP 29 in the city of Baku in November 2024 and expressed Pakistan’s interest in enhanced cooperation and experience sharing in combating climate change.

He also appreciated Azerbaijan’s firm and principled position on the just cause of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

Also, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and reviewed the state of bilateral relations.

The two leaders, expressing satisfaction with the positive momentum in bilateral relations, reiterated their resolve to further deepen cooperation, with a particular focus on economic, trade, and defence sectors, an FO statement said.