Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, has strongly condemned Israel for its illegal and unlawful recognition of the Somaliland region and the subsequent unwarranted and highly provocative visits of its officials.

Addressing the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, he termed these actions an act of political aggression and a direct assault on Somalia’s internationally recognised borders, setting a perilous precedent and threatening peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and beyond.

Ishaq Dar led the Pakistan delegation at the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, convened to address the grave consequences arising from Israel’s recognition of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia. In his address, the DPM/FM rejected any proposal for the dislocation of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled commitment to an independent, contiguous, and sovereign State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Appreciating the OIC’s principled position and consistent support for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, he urged the OIC to step up its efforts towards the realisation of the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.

On the sidelines of the extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the DPM/FM met his counterparts from several OIC Member States, as well as the Secretary-General of the OIC.

The convening of the extraordinary session has powerfully demonstrated the collective determination of OIC Member States, sending a clear message to the international community regarding the paramount urgency of upholding the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The participation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers is another manifestation of Pakistan’s strong support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia.