Deputy PM Ishaq Dar departs for Jeddah today to attend OIC meeting

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar left for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the evening to attend the extraordinary meeting of the executive committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) foreign ministers, which will be held at the OIC’s General Secretariat in Jeddah at 4:00 PM tomorrow, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

Diplomatic sources told 24News that there would be two items on the meeting’s agenda: the first the continuation of crimes by Israel against innocent Palestinians and the second Israel’s aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

They further informed that a joint declaration was expected to be issued by the member states at the end of the meeting.

On the other hand, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, while confirming the news of the deputy prime minister’s visit, has said that the meeting, which has been convened at the request of Iran and Palestine, will discuss Israel’s aggression against Palestine and other regional countries.

Zahra has claimed that Pakistan, being the staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has always been the first country to voice its opinion at all international forums, including the OIC. “The deputy prime minister, at the huddle, will voice Pakistan’s serious concerns, over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East in general and Gaza in particular,” she has said, adding that Dar will emphasize the immediate restoration of peace in the region and the supply of relief goods to the people of Gaza.     

Apart from that, the spokesperson has gone to say, the foreign minister will also hold meetings with his counterparts from other member states of the OIC.

Reporter: Anwar Abbas