NEW YORK, Jul 28: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Sunday said Pakistan fully support Palestinians\u2019 right to self-determination \u2014 specifically, the establishment of an independent and contiguous state of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with Arab News, he said, \u201cOur stance has been consistently clear, and we adhere to it with unwavering commitment. We have openly condemned the oppressor and consistently called for accountability.\u201d
He mentioned that a landmark conference, jointly chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, will be held on July 28-30 at the United Nations in New York, aiming to chart a path toward peace and a sovereign Palestinian state.
He said Pakistan extended unwavering support for this initiative and the urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Delegates from key nations and international bodies will converge on the UN headquarters to discuss ceasefire arrangements, humanitarian access, reconstruction efforts and political recognition of Palestine.
While emphasizing Pakistan\u2019s long-standing position on the Palestine issue, he said,
\u201cThe attempt by France and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very appreciable. These two countries have taken this initiative. Pakistan has a clear foreign policy for decades on the Palestine issue.\u201d
He said, \u201cI hope that serious efforts are made during this event, first, to secure an immediate ceasefire, and second, to ensure the unhindered flow of food, humanitarian aid and medical assistance \u2014 alongside progress toward the recognition of Palestine as an independent state.\u201d
Acknowledging the devastating conditions in Gaza, Ishaq Dar described the conference\u2019s potential success: \u201cIf we are able to achieve all these objectives, it will be a great success and a highly commendable contribution by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France.\u201d
Beyond diplomatic support, Pakistan has been actively contributing to humanitarian relief. He detailed ongoing efforts: \u201cSince the onset of this crisis nearly two years ago, we have been making efforts to send humanitarian consignments. Initially focused on Gaza, these efforts were later extended to Syria and Lebanon as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also stressed the importance of international law: \u201cWe believe that all United Nations resolutions \u2014 particularly those of the Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining global peace and security \u2014 must be implemented. If these resolutions are respected, the solution becomes clear and achievable.\u201d
On Pakistan\u2019s coordination with Saudi Arabia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Deputy Prime Minister said: \u201cWe seize every opportunity to raise our voice in support of our Palestinian brothers and sisters, whether at the UN General Assembly or the UN Security Council.\u201d
Highlighting Pakistan\u2019s role as president of the UN Security Council in July 2025, he noted, \u201cI chaired the open debate on Palestine on July 24. Pakistan\u2019s position is absolutely clear \u2014 we are firmly on the right side of history and remain steadfast in our support.\u201d
While drawing parallels with the Kashmir issue, he said \u201cWe actively engage through all relevant forums \u2014 the OIC, G-8, SCO and others \u2014 to raise the issues of both Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, which are decades-old disputes. In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, India has acted in clear violation of UN Security Council and other international resolutions. Similarly, in the case of Palestine, the core problem remains the same: a lack of respect for UN resolutions.\u201d
\u201cThe solution to conflicts does not lie in kinetic actions \u2014 wars and violence. The real path forward is through dialogue and diplomacy, and we are firm believers in this approach,\u201d he asserted.
He highlighted a recent Security Council open debate under Pakistan\u2019s presidency on the \u201cpeaceful settlement of disputes,\u201d which achieved a rare consensus.
\u201cThis resolution outlines the role that multilateral institutions should play, reflecting what we aim to achieve. For example, on my wish list \u2014 may Allah make it a reality soon \u2014 is an immediate ceasefire, followed by the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Gaza.\u201d
He acknowledged the scale of destruction, saying: \u201cThe destruction is massive. (Gaza) has been virtually raised to the ground.\u201d
He stressed Pakistan\u2019s willingness to contribute to post-conflict reconstruction, leveraging its expertise: \u201cThe Arab League and the OIC are committed, and as members of the OIC, we will contribute whatever expertise we have \u2014 in health care, education, governance and more \u2014 to support our brothers and sisters.\u201d
When asked about accountability for alleged war crimes and violations in Gaza, Ishaq Dar was unequivocal.
\u201cPakistan has already raised its voice in OIC and other forums,\u201d he said. \u201cPrime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shehbaz Sharif, and myself as deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan, have been raising this voice very clearly and putting the blame where it should be by name.\u201d
\u201cNow, when it comes to action and accountability, the International Court of Justice delivered its (decision) last year, but unfortunately, it was largely ignored,\u201d he added.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW YORK, Jul 28: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Sunday said Pakistan fully support Palestinians\u2019 right to self-determination \u2014 specifically, the establishment of an independent and contiguous state of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on the pre-1967 borders. In an interview with Arab News, he said, \u201cOur stance has […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[80,396,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-latest","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10221"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asiafreepress.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}