Islamabad (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke by phone with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, exchanging views on regional developments, including the recently signed Makkah Joint Defence Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.
Dar briefed Anand on the substance of the agreement and the shared commitment of the three countries to regional peace and security.
The two officials also discussed the evolving US-Iran situation, with Dar raising the situation in Occupied East Jerusalem, including a recent ministerial meeting on Jerusalem held in Jordan.
Dar thanked Anand for her recent visit to Pakistan, and both sides agreed to remain in close contact on matters of shared interest.
Pakistan’s Statement at Jordan Ministerial Meeting
Separately, Pakistan expressed appreciation to Jordan for convening a ministerial meeting on Jerusalem at what it described as a critical moment, citing continued actions by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, that it said threaten the character of the region’s holy sites and undermine international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Pakistan reaffirmed its support for Jordan’s historic custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, recognizing the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department as the legitimate authority overseeing Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif.
It maintained that the entire site remains an exclusive place of Muslim worship and rejected any attempt to divide it.
Pakistan also voiced concern over the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, rising settler violence, and ongoing hardship faced by Palestinians in the West Bank, arguing that these actions violate international humanitarian law and the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, while undermining prospects for Palestinian statehood and regional stability.
On Gaza, Pakistan described the humanitarian situation as fragile, noting that despite some improvements following the ceasefire and partial implementation of a broader peace plan, a majority of the population continues to face severe food insecurity, and more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire took effect — raising questions about the plan’s full implementation. It noted that nearly two million people remain confined to a small fraction of Gaza’s territory under difficult conditions.
While acknowledging that the ceasefire and the US-backed plan to end the Gaza conflict present an important opportunity to ease humanitarian suffering and advance Palestinian self-determination, Pakistan called for collective action from Arab and Islamic countries to preserve this opportunity — including protecting Jerusalem’s holy sites, rejecting Israeli settlement expansion and demographic changes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in line with international law and UN Resolution 2334, and supporting full implementation of the Gaza peace plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Pakistan also welcomed progress made through the Board of Peace toward disarmament under the Gaza plan, crediting mediating countries including the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye, and called for stronger coordination among Arab.
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Islamic countries within international forums to ensure protection for Palestinians, accountability for violations against civilians, and progress toward a lasting political solution.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
