Pakistan Supports Iran’s Call for Extraordinary OIC Meeting After Hamas Leader’s Assassination
ISLAMABAD: On Saturday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that Pakistan fully supports Iran’s call for an “extraordinary meeting” of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) following the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, according to a press release from the Foreign Office (FO).
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had earlier vowed “harsh punishment” for Haniyeh’s killing, led the prayers for the Palestinian leader’s burial in Qatar on Thursday. Haniyeh was visiting Tehran for an inauguration ceremony when he was killed.
Thousands gathered at Tehran University, carrying posters of Haniyeh and Palestinian flags, for a mourning procession. The death was confirmed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, stating that Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in a strike on their accommodation in Tehran at 2am on Wednesday.
This event occurred hours after Israel targeted and killed top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, escalating fears of a wider regional conflict following the Israel-Hamas clash in Gaza. Israel has declined to comment on the Tehran strike.
Iran’s conservative parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Iran would “certainly carry out the supreme leader’s order [to avenge Haniyeh].” He emphasized that it is Iran’s duty to respond appropriately, with crowds chanting “Death to Israel, Death to America!”
In a telephonic conversation with Dar, Acting Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Bagehri Kani expressed deep anguish over Haniyeh’s assassination. FM Dar conveyed Pakistan’s shared sentiments and added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had condemned the events in Gaza and the assassination of Haniyeh in the “strongest possible terms.”
The National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously condemned the killing, calling it a violation of “international law, established diplomatic norms, and acceptable behavior among nations.”
Kani requested Dar to participate in the “extraordinary meeting” of the OIC at the “foreign ministers level” to address this issue. The meeting, requested by Iran, is expected to be held soon.
Dar confirmed Pakistan’s full support for the call and assured that Pakistan would “actively participate” in the “important meeting.”
