Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to New York on February 18 to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting on Palestine, the Foreign Office confirmed on Monday.

According to spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, Ishaq Dar will participate in the high-level session focused on the situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The meeting will be chaired by the British foreign secretary and is expected to review recent developments, including Israel’s actions in the West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

During the session, Pakistan will strongly oppose what it described as illegal Israeli measures to expand control over the West Bank.

Islamabad will also call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and increased humanitarian assistance.

The deputy prime minister will reiterate Pakistan’s support for the early rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza and emphasise continued diplomatic engagement with Arab and Islamic countries, the United States, and other partners.

He will also reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

On the sidelines of the visit, Ishaq Dar is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest.