Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will represent Pak­is­tan at a meeting of the foreign ministers of eight major Muslim countries in Turkiye next week, to discuss the next steps in the Gaza peace plan. All preparations regarding Ishaq Dar’s visit have been put in place which is being taking place on the invitation of Turkish Foreign Mini­ster Hakan Fidan.According to diplomatic sources, Ishaq Dar will leave for Turkiye on Monday (November 3).  Besides Ishaq Dar and Hakan Fidan, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt, Indonesia and Jordan will be in attendance.

The sources further said Ishaq Dar is expected to strongly condemn Israel’s resumption of attacks on Gaza while reiteration full support to the Palestinian people. “Turkish Foreign Mini­ster Hakan Fidan invited the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to Turkiye for the forthcoming meeting next week of the eight Foreign Ministers of partner countries who were engaged on the sidelines of UNGA8o in the diplomatic process on Gaza,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on issued last Tuesday.

The FO said Dar and Fidan discussed the evolving situation in Gaza, and the next steps and modalities for achieving lasting peace in Palestine. In September, eight Ar­ab and Muslim-majority countries had for­m­ed a group to work with US President Donald Tru­mp to end the Israel-Hamas war. Convened on Sept 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the group built on the 2023 Arab-Islamic Contact Group to align with Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)