ISLAMABAD: Pakistan鈥檚 Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an on Saturday and agreed to step up diplomatic efforts to halt Israel鈥檚 military campaigns in the Middle East, as regional tensions threaten to escalate further.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul, where Muslim-majority nations are grappling with regional crises.

Two of the bloc鈥檚 key members 鈥� Pakistan and Iran 鈥� have recently faced military escalations with regional adversaries. While Pakistan鈥檚 brief but intense standoff with India last month ended in a ceasefire, Israel鈥檚 strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, launched over a week ago, have shown no signs of letting up.

鈥淭he leaders [of Pakistan and Turkiye] expressed strong condemnation of the continued Israeli attacks in blatant violation of fundamental principles of international law, reiterated support for Iran鈥檚 sovereignty, territorial integrity and its right to self-defense under the UN Charter, agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and urged the international community to play its part in restoring peace and stability in the region,鈥� the Foreign Office in Islamabad said in a statement.

鈥淏oth sides emphasized the urgency of galvanizing efforts to bring an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression in Gaza and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the besieged people of Gaza,鈥� the statement added.

As Iran and Israel continue to trade fire, European and regional powers are racing to contain the conflict and bring Iran back to the negotiating table to resume nuclear negotiations that broke down when Israel launched its strike on Tehran and other cities.

During Saturday鈥檚 meeting, Dar underscored Pakistan鈥檚 commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Turkiye.

The two sides reaffirmed their desire to deepen cooperation, particularly in light of Turkiye鈥檚 diplomatic support for Pakistan during last month鈥檚 flare-up with India, which saw both nuclear-armed neighbors exchange missiles, drone fire and airstrikes before tensions subsided under international pressure.

Dar also congratulated Erdo臒an on receiving an award from the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum in recognition of his leadership and the successful organization of the ongoing OIC ministerial session.