Why it matters:
Dar’s remarks place Pakistan squarely among SCO member states, criticizing Western and Israeli military crimes. His statement not only aligns Islamabad with Iran but also reinforces Pakistan’s long-standing position on Palestine amid escalating regional tensions.
The big picture:
The remarks come weeks after Israeli strikes on Iran and U.S. attacks targeting Iranian nuclear sites.
The SCO, which includes Russia, China, Iran, and several Central Asian states, has increasingly become a forum for anti-Western sentiment.
What he’s saying:
Ishaq Dar:
“We have strongly condemned the unjustified and illegitimate aggression by the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. Such illegal actions directed against SCO member states are unacceptable.”
“Israel has shown a reckless disregard for international norms and humanity through its relentless and disproportionate use of force in Gaza, resulting in the death of tens of thousands of civilians and causing the worst humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“We call for an immediate halt to the Israeli regime’s atrocities. The only viable remedy to the Palestine dispute is the realisation of a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds as the capital of a viable, secure, and contiguous Palestinian state.”
“Unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, must be strongly condemned and opposed by all.”
Go deeper:
Pakistan’s foreign policy on Palestine has consistently supported the two-state solution, but Dar’s speech marks one of the most direct condemnations of Israel and the U.S. on a multilateral stage in recent years.
Mojtaba Darabi
