From Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar underscored the shared interests of Pakistan and United Kingdom in a meeting with his British counterpart Angela Rayner.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), Deputy PM Dar and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government of the UK Rayner met on the former’s visit to London.
On the occasion, Dar congratulated Rayner on her appointment as the British deputy PM.
“He underscored the importance of a strong Pakistan-UK partnership for furthering the two countries’ shared interests in the bilateral and regional domains.
The deputy prime minister lauded the contributions of British-Pakistani diaspora towards further enriching the longstanding ties between the two countries,” the FO statement read.
Recalling Rayner’s visit to Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2022 floods, Deputy PM Dar expressed Pakistan’s desire to work with the UK on climate action and mobilising international assistance for climate-vulnerable countries.
He noted that creating opportunities for young people, and enhancing bilateral trade and investment were other shared priorities of both countries.
Moreover, the Dar also appreciated the UK’s continued duty-free access facility for Pakistani exports.
Meanwhile, the British dignitary congratulated Dar on Pakistan’s election to the UN Security Council. She also noted the positive role of the British Pakistani community in bringing the two countries closer together.
Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned the assault by the Israeli occupation forces on refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm cities of the occupied West Bank, calling it a breach and contempt for international laws, as Israel continues to press on its brutal onslaught on Palestinians.
“Targeting individuals sheltered in refugee camps is yet another breach of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces, demonstrating their contempt for international law and basic tenets of decency and acceptable international behavior,” the FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in today’s press briefing.
She said that Pakistan calls for an immediate cessation of these raids masquerading as military operations in the West Bank.
“We believe that the path to lasting peace cannot be achieved through aggression,” Baloch said.
She also urged the UN Security Council to play its role to prevent Israeli occupation forces from further attacks against civilians, hold Israel accountable for war crimes, and take measures to protect the Palestinian people.
