ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday to participate in the second Joint Arab-Islamic Summit to discuss the current situation in the Middle East, the PM Office stated in a press release.
Saudi Arabia will be hosting leaders of the Arab and Islamic countries tomorrow to discuss ways to end ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestinian and Lebanese territories, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Heads of state and government of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries will attend the extraordinary summit on Monday.
At the Summit, the Prime Minister will reiterate Pakistan’s full support to the Palestinian cause. He will call for an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza, urging an urgent and unconditional ceasefire and immediate cessation of the ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region that is endangering the security of the countries in the Middle East, Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan will also call for providing international protection for the Palestinian people and for the establishment of an independent state of Palestine on the border of 1967 with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the Prime Minister during the visit.
PM Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders from the Arab League and OIC member states on the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister Office stated.
READ ALSO: Israel Pounds Gaza, Lebanon as Ceasefire Efforts Falter
The agenda of the Arab-Islamic Summit includes stopping Israeli aggression, providing support to the Palestinian and Lebanese people, protecting civilians, unifying positions, and putting pressure on the global community to take decisive measures to end the ongoing attacks and establish peace and stability in the region.
During the summit, the leaders would stress the urgent need for unified efforts and a collective stance to address the dangerous and unprecedented developments in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, and many other countries, along with the secretaries-general of the Arab League and OIC, would seek immediate international action to halt the war on Gaza and pressure for a serious political process to achieve lasting, comprehensive peace based on internationally recognised principles.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, called for an immediate halt to arms deliveries to Israel and the revision of its membership in the United Nations, state-run media reported on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Israeli Strikes Kill 13 Children in Gaza
Speaking at the Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting during the Extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh, Dar condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza and urged the international community to take decisive action to end what he referred to as the “genocide in Gaza.”
He said that the international community cannot remain silent in the face of this ongoing genocide. “It is time for global powers to take a stand and stop the supply of weapons that are fuelling Israel’s war on Gaza.”
He called on the United Nations and its member states to intervene urgently to bring an end to the violence and ensure accountability for Israel’s actions.
