IIOJK issue is no different from Gaza: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that the issue of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) valley is no different from Gaza.

The former Finance Minister made these remarks while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Sharing details of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he said that the premier had meetings with his Malaysian counterpart, MD IMF and Bill Gates.

He said that during the visit, Mr. Shahbaz also met with the Saudi leadership in which various issues including Pakistan’s economic recovery were discussed and after the huddles with the Saudi leadership, their delegation came to Pakistan.

Moreover, he said that the he met with the Secretary General OIC in addition to his Malaysian, Saudi counterparts.

“Our Saudi Arabia visit was very successful, however, Bill Gates has an important role to play in polio eradication in Pakistan,” he said.

He also termed the Iranian President’s visit to Pakistan as very productive.

To another query, he replied that Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman would undertake a bilateral visit to Pakistan soon and they would receive a date in this regard, in the current month.

The deputy PM and foreign minister further said that Pakistan wanted stability and peace in the region and was desirous to have good friendly relations with all including the neighbouring country Afghanistan.

To another question regarding restrictions on social media platform X, he said that Article 19 of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of expression and speech but subjected to relevant laws and boundaries.

It did not give blanket freedom to anyone to taint and raise slur with baseless allegations against the national interests and state institutions, he added.

The foreign minister said that he had told the summit that the alarming genocide like situation in Gaza was parallel to what was happening in the IIOJK.

He said that their focus was on ‘economic diplomacy’ and Africa possessed ‘tremendous scope for the Pakistani exporters’.