FM Dar heads to US for UNSC briefing on Palestine, Gaza peace board talks
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during a meeting in Islamabad on September 30 . Photo: x.com/File
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar left for New York on Tuesday to participate in the high-level United Nations Security Council briefing on the situation in Palestine and attend talks related to the Gaza 'Board of Peace'.
The Foreign Office said he departed for New York from London after accompanying Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on his two-day visit to Vienna for key engagements.
After accompanying Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif @CMShehbaz on his two-day visit to Vienna for key engagements, Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 has departed for New York via London.
In New York, DPM/FM will participate…It said he would participate tomorrow (Wednesday) in the high-level UNSC meeting on the situation in the Middle East and Palestine, ahead of joining the prime minister in Washington DC.
According to the statement, the meeting will be chaired by the United Kingdom foreign secretary in her capacity as president of the Security Council.
🔊PR No.4️⃣5️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣
Curtain Raiser: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister’s Official Visit to New York, 18 February 2026
🔗⬇️https://t.co/rPtNs0617o pic.twitter.com/jGVVGC3JIfIt added that Dar would reaffirm Pakistan’s “principled and consistent position” on Palestine during the meeting.
“He will reiterate Pakistan’s strong opposition to Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank, emphasise the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, scaled-up humanitarian assistance, and the early commencement of Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction,” the statement said.
“The FM will also underscore Pakistan’s continued engagement with international and regional partners, including the Group of Eight Arab and Islamic countries and the United States, in support of a just and lasting peace, anchored in international law, leading to the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” it further added.
Meanwhile, on the margins of the visit, he will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Read: Pakistan, seven other countries condemn Israel's designation of West Bank as ‘state land’
The development comes the same day as Pakistan and seven other countries condemning Israel’s designation of West Bank land as “state land” and called the move a “grave escalation”.
Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar jointly condemned Israel’s decision, saying it applied unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory and undermined the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
It is noteworthy that the same eight countries had worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan last year to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza and were reportedly among the 26 member countries of the board of peace.
Pakistan’s decision to commit troops to Gaza as part of the “Board of Peace” remains unclear, as officials have neither confirmed nor denied potential participation.
The board is set to hold its first meeting on February 19 in Washington DC, where Trump is expected to present a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction blueprint for Gaza and outline the structure and mandate of the stabilisation force.
PM Shhebaz is slated to attend the summit, though Pakistani officials have remained tight-lipped on whether troop deployment is on the table.