Daily Times

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated on Saturday that Pakistan is fully backing Iran’s request for an “extraordinary meeting” of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran strike, Foreign Office said.

Acting Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Bagehri Kani called Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar earlier today. Iran’s Bagehri Kani shared the Iranian nation and its leadership’s deep anguish on the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on the occasion of the inauguration of the President of Iran. “The Deputy Prime Minister conveyed that the people of Pakistan shared these sentiments. He shared that the Prime Minister of Pakistan had condemned the developments in Gaza and the atrocious assassination of Ismail Haniyeh Shaheed in the strongest possible terms,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

Moreover, the National Assembly of Pakistan had unanimously condemned the heinous act which was against international law, established diplomatic norms and acceptable behaviour amongst the comity of nations, the DPM Dar added. During a telephone call, the Iranian acting foreign minister also requested the deputy prime minister to participate in the Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC being convened on this matter at the Foreign Ministers level. The meeting has been requested by Iran and is likely to be held in the near future.

“The Deputy Prime Minister fully supported the call for an Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers and confirmed that Pakistan would actively participate in the important meeting,” it was further added.

Separately, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met with Hamas leaders in Qatar to offer his condolences following the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh.

The JUI-F chief arrived in Qatar from Jeddah last night, where he engaged in discussions with Palestinian and Hamas leaders. During his visit, Fazlur Rehman also met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal. He expressed his sorrow over the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, offering prayers and condolences for all Palestinian martyrs.

Speaking on the occasion, he stated that “the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh will not go in vain. His martyrdom will strengthen Palestine’s struggle for freedom. The entire Islamic world is grieving his loss.”

Fazlur Rehman said it is the duty of Muslims to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque from Zionist occupiers. He noted that Hamas leaders remain resolute and that both the Palestinian people and the Muslim Ummah will not relinquish their fight for the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestine.

The JUI-F and the Pakistani nation stand in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for freedom. The Palestinian leader and his bodyguard were killed in an Iranian government guest house in Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday. Haniyeh had gone to the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of Iran’s newly elected Masoud Pezeshkian.

During the past three days, speculations abounded whether a long-range missile was fired from outside Iran’s borders or launched from an aircraft over Iranian airspace. Iranian media, including the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, reported, quoting Khaled Qaddoumi, Hamas’ representative in Tehran, that Haniyeh’s death was caused by a missile or rocket fired from outside the building toward the room where he was staying.