ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Sunday expressed Pakistan’s deep concern over Israel’s ongoing brutal 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.

Addressing the 15th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit Conference in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, he also expressed Pakistan’s support for Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN, resumption of the peace process for realization 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 5 August 2019, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister urged the OIC to implement its Action Plan on Jammu and Kashmir; demand that India ends all human rights violations; release Hurriyat leaders; and reverse its illegal demographic and other unilateral laws.

He appreciated the OIC for 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 the OIC resolutions.

Condemning the rising trend of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in various parts of the world, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister urged the OIC to formulate a joint strategy to work with global social media platforms to harmonize their application of content regulation policies for blasphemous, anti-Islamic and Islamophobic content.

He appreciated OIC’s appointment of a Special Envoy on Islamophobia.

Dar also 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.

He highlighted that Pakistan continued to face externally sponsored terrorism from across its borders, despite contributing the most to the fight against terrorism.

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 and foreign minister also expressed Pakistan’s support to revitalize the UN system and reform the UN Security Council – to make it more representative, democratic, and effective for international peace and security.