Eurasia Press & News
On November 4, Iran’s Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit. In the Pakistani capital, Araghchi met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Pakistan Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, and others. Pakistani media reports said that the Iranian foreign minister’s goal was “to hold consultations with Pakistan’s leadership on the situation in the Middle East… and bilateral relations.”[1]
During the meetings, a media report noted, Pakistan and Iran “condemned Israel’s unrestrained military aggression in the Middle East and its genocidal actions against innocent civilians and questioned the international community’s failure to stop the Zionist regime from its violation of international laws and UN Charter.”[2]
It seems that during the meetings in Islamabad, the two countries also agreed to act against jihadi terrorists, such as Jaish Al-Adl in Iran and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, as well as human rights activists and rebels, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, fighting Iran and Pakistan in the region divided as Baluchestan Wa Sistan of Iran and Pakistani province of Balochistan. The theocratic Shi’ite regime of Iran and the Pakistani military are oppressing Muslims in these parts of Balochistan.[3]
In this regard, the Iranian foreign minister also met with Pakistan Army chief Gen. Asim Munir, with the possibility of a direct or indirect cooperation between the two armies in Balochistan. “We are with you as you are with us in combating terrorism,” Araghchi told Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir in Islamabad.[4] After meeting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Araghchi said: “I told Pakistani officials that we consider terrorism against you as a threat against us.”[5]
While the press highlighted the statements of the Iranian foreign minister and Pakistani leaders on Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon, it largely did not report on the bilateral discussions. Araghchi, addressing a press conference along with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, “praised the strong stance of Pakistan on the Palestinian issue and its humanitarian aid for the affected persons in Gaza. [He] said that international efforts are essential to stop Israeli crimes. Pakistan and Iran stand shoulder to shoulder for the establishment of peace in the region,” according to an Urdu-language TV report.[6]
According to a report in the Urdu daily Roznama Jang, Araghchi said that “if the Arab League and Islamic Ummah did not take a serious step, then Israel’s aggression would not be limited to these regions [Gaza and Lebanon] and would engulf all the countries of the region in its flames.”[7] The Iranian foreign minister, speaking of the U.S. elections, added: “It does not make a difference to us as to whether Trump becomes the U.S. president or Kamala Harris. Like the Democrats, the Republican Party has also been always supporting the Zionists.”[8]
Araghchi also spoke, according to the Roznama Jang report, about Pakistan’s role in the Israeli attacks in the Middle East and praised Prime Minister Shehbaz’s condemnation of Israeli attacks in Iran, adding: “The position of the Pakistani leadership on Gaza, Lebanon, and the areas affected by the Zionist aggression is praiseworthy.”[9] The Iranian foreign minister stated: “Iran does not want a war, but is always ready to defend itself.”[10]
Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told the press that “during the meeting with the guest foreign minister, views were exchanged concerning the tense situation in the Middle East and the Kashmir issue” and called for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the international community to provide a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir and Palestinian issues.”[11]
The Pakistani foreign minister reiterated “the call for establishing a viable, independent, and contiguous state of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif [Jerusalem] as its capital.”[12] Ishaq Dar added: “We reject the propensity by occupying powers to equate the right of self-determination with terrorism, which is nothing but a ploy to prolong their occupation and apartheid policies. The long-standing Palestinian issue and the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, which are based on the denial of the right to self-determination, must be addressed through peaceful means, fully respecting the rights and aspirations of the affected populations, in line with relevant United Nations resolutions and the UN Charter.”[13]
During a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the Palestinians and “emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the provision of unhindered humanitarian assistance and, above all, the grant of the inalienable right to self-determination to the Palestinian people, as guaranteed to them by the relevant resolutions of the UN, as well as the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation].”[14]
As Araghchi left Pakistan on the night of November 5, The News, a leading Pakistani daily ran an editorial that read in part: “Despite Israel’s insistence that civilian casualties are ‘collateral damage,’ the scale and nature of these attacks reveal a disregard for human life. The killing of Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas leader Israeli intelligence had claimed was hiding among hostages, exposes the inadequacy of Israel’s intelligence and calls into question the legitimacy of the entire military operation. And yet, the world remains largely passive.
“Against this backdrop of horror and hypocrisy, Palestinians’ resilience has become a beacon. Their unyielding commitment to dignity, to life on their own land, remains undimmed despite the unrelenting violence. The world owes it to Palestine to bring about a lasting solution, one that addresses the core injustices at the heart of this crisis. The Palestine question deserves an answer grounded in human rights, international law, and dignity.”[15] [1] The News (Pakistan), November 5, 2024.
[2] The News (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [3] MEMRI Special Dispatch Series No. 11663, Balochistan Liberation Charter: The Baloch National Struggle Is A Secular Movement Against The Islamic Republics Of Iran And Pakistan, November 7, 2024. [4] Dawn.com (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [5] Dawn.com (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [6] Urdu.samaa.tv (Pakistan), November 5, 2024. [7] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [8] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [9] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [10] Roznama Jang (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [11] Urdu.samaa.tv (Pakistan), November 5, 2024. [12] The News (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [13] The News (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [14] The News (Pakistan), November 6, 2024. [15] The News (Pakistan), November 6, 2024.
