Pakistan on Sunday slammed this week’s Israeli airstrike against Hamas leaders in Qatar’s capital of Doha, calling for an Arab-Islamic task force to counter Israeli expansionist designs in the Middle East.
The statement by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar came at a preparatory ministerial meeting of the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha in the aftermath of Israeli airstrike that killed at least six people on Tuesday.
“Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It should not be allowed to get away with attacking Islamic countries and killing people with impunity,” Dar said at Sunday’s ministerial meeting, calling for the “creation of an Arab-Islamic task force to monitor the Israeli designs in the region and adopt effective deterrent and offensive measures in a synchronized manner to ward off Israeli expansionist designs.”
Dar said the question of Israeli accountability is a test for the credibility of the global system.
“The Israeli strike against a sovereign state that has been actively partaking in the ongoing mediation efforts along with the US and Egypt, to reach a ceasefire in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is unwarranted, unjustified, and appalling,” he said in a statement shared by the Pakistani foreign ministry.
Speaking at Sunday’s meeting, Dar voiced Pakistan’s solidarity and support for Qatar’s “inalienable right to take all necessary measures, in accordance with the UN Charter, to defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of all persons within their territory.”
“Pakistan commends Qatar’s important and constructive role in facilitating mediation efforts, including for a ceasefire, which has been widely and consistently appreciated by the world, together with the role of Egypt and the US,” he said.
Dar, Rubio express resolve to cement Pakistan-US ties
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar received a telephone call last night from the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan-US ties and discussed recent regional and international developments.
They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations across multifaceted areas.