By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Sunday urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to "work together" for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire in the besieged enclave of Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed over 34,000 Palestinians, mostly children and women.
The demand was made by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar during the 15th OIC summit in Gambia, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
Expressing Pakistan’s "deep" concern over Israel’s ongoing brutal military onslaught on Gaza and the West Bank, Dar also demanded "uninterrupted" humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinians.
He also expressed Pakistan’s support for Palestine’s admission as a full member of the UN, the resumption of the peace process for the realization of the two-state solution, and the establishment of a "viable, contiguous and sovereign" state of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Highlighting the alleged human rights violations in the Indian-administered Kashmir, especially after New Delhi's scrapping of the Himalayan valley's decades-long special status in August 2019, Dar urged the OIC to implement its "Action Plan on Jammu and Kashmir," and to demand that India end all human rights violations, release pro-freedom 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 the lingering dispute under relevant UN Security Council and OIC resolutions.
Condemning the rising trend of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in various parts of the world, Dar also called on 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.
Islamabad's top diplomat added that his country continues to face "externally sponsored terrorism" from across its borders, despite being the largest contributor to the fight against terrorism.
His remarks referred to a recent spate of terrorist attacks across the country, for which Islamabad accuses "Afghanistan-based" militants, while Kabul denies the charge.
Dar 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.