Pakistan urges Islamic countries to cut ties with Israel

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, on Saturday urged all the Islamic countries to cut ties with Israel due to its aggression against Iran.

Strongly condemning Israel’s recent strikes on Iran, the defence minister warned that if the Muslim Ummah does not unite, every Muslim country’s turn will come.

Addressing a session of the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif stated that after targeting Palestine and Yemen, Israel has now launched attacks on Iran.

He underscored the urgent need for unity among Muslim nations in the face of escalating Israeli aggression. “The Muslim Ummah must stand united in today’s difficult time,” he said. “If we fail to unite now, each Islamic country will face the same fate.”

The Defence Minister urged all Muslim nations to immediately cut diplomatic ties with Israel, stating that Israel’s hands are stained with the blood of Palestinians and these hands must be rejected outright.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding position, he said, “Pakistan has stood firm on its stance against Israel since day one.”

Khawaja Asif also called for a joint response from Muslim countries, demanding an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address Israel’s attack on Iran.

“Pakistan stands firmly with Iran in every way”, he added.

Earlier, Pakistan called on the UN Security Council, which met in emergency session hours after Israel’s deadly air strikes against targets in Iran, to stop “this aggression immediately” and hold the aggressor accountable.

“This Council must deny Israel the free hand and the impunity with which it continues to operate in defiance of international law and international opinion,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member Council, while denouncing Tel Aviv’s “unjustified and illegitimate aggression” against Iran.

“Iran has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” he said, adding that Israel’s actions in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen “reflect a continuing pattern of unilateral militarism”.