- Pakistan remains firm in its position on Palestine: Dar.
- “Israel must move towards the creation of a Palestinian state.”
- Marco Rubio welcomes Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday ruled out any change in Pakistan’s long-standing policy towards Israel, saying there could be no change in Islamabad’s stance towards Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
He made the remarks during a press conference at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington after a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He was responding to a question about US President Donald Trump urging Muslim states, including Pakistan, to rejoin the Abraham Accords as part of a deal with Iran and whether discussions with Rubio had taken place on the matter.
“Pakistan remains firm in its position on Palestine and Gaza,” Dar said, adding that Israel “must move towards the creation of a Palestinian state” before there can be any change in Pakistan’s position towards Israel.
The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements negotiated under Trump in 2020 and widely hailed as a foreign policy success. The agreements govern the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and countries historically hostile to it.
Although they have been welcomed in diplomatic circles as a step toward a more peaceful Middle East, they remain unpopular among public opinion in many parts of the region, not least because they do not address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Earlier on May 25, US President Donald Trump urged Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and beyond to normalize relations with Israel under the emerging peace deal with Iran.
In a social media post, Trump listed the countries he spoke with leaders Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran.
“After all the work the United States has done trying to put this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, sign the Abraham Accords simultaneously.”
“These countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (already a member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain (already a member!)”
Rubio praises Pakistan’s peace efforts
Meanwhile, Rubio — after meeting DPM Dar — praised Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.
He said he was “thankful [DPM Dar] for the role that Pakistan continues to play in promoting peace in the Middle East.
“We agreed on the importance of working together to further strengthen a meaningful partnership for better security and more prosperity for our two nations,” he wrote on his official X handle.
Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DPM Dar said the meeting with Rubio took place in a “cordial” atmosphere and in the presence of the Pakistani ambassador and other senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pakistan played a role in facilitating ceasefires between the United States and Iran, he said, adding that Islamabad helped create conditions for direct engagement between the two countries.
Dar said the first ceasefire between Washington and Tehran became possible because of Pakistan, adding that the latest truce was also achieved because of Islamabad’s efforts.
He added that Pakistan had acquired a “new identity on the global horizon” under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS-CDF Marshal Asim Munir.
Dar’s remarks come as part of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic engagement with regional and international stakeholders to help end the war in the Middle East.
