Pakistan to attend OIC session on Middle East
Pakistan would join other Islamic countries in an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the evolving situation in the Middle East after the assassination of top Hamas leader in Tehran.
The extraordinary meeting of the OIC foreign ministers has been requested by Iran and is expected to take place in the near future.
Ahead of the crucial huddle, Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagehri Kani on Saturday telephoned Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar to extend him the formal invitation and discuss the latest developments in the region.
Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in an attack believed to have been carried out by Israel when he was in Tehran to attend the oath taking ceremony of Iran's new President.
Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the attack but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indirectly admitted his country's role when in his televised address he claimed to have dealt a "crushing blow" to Israel's enemies.
The American media reports claimed that Haniyeh was assassinated through an explosive device planted in his bedroom some two months ago. One US media outlet said Israeli secret agency, Mossad, executed the high-profile assassination. The report also said that Israeli operatives were on the Iranian soil at the time of the attack. Iran has so far provided little details into the circumstances or the nature of the attack.
The assassination of the top Hamas leader has put the Middle East region on the cusp of a wider conflict as Iran has vowed to carry out reprisal attacks.
In anticipation of a potential Iranian response, the US on Saturday announced that it was dispatching an additional warship, fighter jets and missiles in the aid of Israel.
An official handout issued by the Foreign Office said Iranian Foreign Minister Kani shared the Iranian nation's and 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 the sentiments. He shared that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had condemned the developments in Gaza and the atrocious assassination of Ismail Haniyeh Shaheed in the strongest possible terms.
Moreover, the National Assembly of Pakistan had unanimously condemned the heinous act which was against international law, established diplomatic norms and acceptable behavior amongst the comity of nations.
The Iranian acting foreign minister also requested the deputy prime minister to participate in the extraordinary meeting of the OIC being convened on the 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.