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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week pushed for “universal recognition” of the state of Palestine and its full membership at the United Nations (UN), calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a UN summit held to discuss the two-state solution in the Middle East. 

Dar was speaking at a high-level UN conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution which opened on Monday. The conference was co-chaired by �������� and France. 

The summit brought together UN member states, observers and regional stakeholders. It featured plenary discussions and thematic roundtables on issues ranging from security arrangements and humanitarian response to reconstruction and economic viability. The conference was held at a time when the world is pushing for peace in the Middle East, where Israel has killed over 58,000 people in Gaza since October 7, 2023, through various military offensives. 

Speaking at the conference on Monday, Dar said the prolonged injustice in Palestine was not only a political failure but a “moral stain – and a persistent threat to international peace and security.”

“Ensure universal recognition of the State of Palestine and its full UN membership,” Dar said. “We welcome France’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine and encourage other countries who have not done so far, to extend recognition and contribute to this global momentum for Palestinian statehood.”

Dar was referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to formally recognize Palestine, with the official declaration expected during the UN General Assembly in September. France would be the first G7 country to do so, and could influence a broader European recognition trend.

As of early this year, about 147 of the 193 UN member states had officially recognized the State of Palestine, representing about 75 percent of the international community. They include the majority of African, Asian and Latin American countries. Several European nations also recently joined the list, including Norway, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Armenia, as have the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados.

Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, demanded an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and other Palestinian territories. He commended the efforts of Qatar, the United States, Egypt and �������� in this regard. The Pakistani minister pushed for “full and unimpeded” humanitarian access, especially life-saving food and medicine, for the people of Palestine and protection of relief teams in Gaza. 

“Fourth, international accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he said. “Impunity must end; fifth, the reinvigoration of a genuine and irreversible political process to end the occupation and realize the two-state solution.”

Dar said Pakistan is willing to extend technical assistance and capacity building support to Palestine in key sectors such as public administration, health, education and service delivery, in coordination with the Palestinian leadership. He said Pakistan is prepared to contribute to the building of institutions, including through participation in the Arab-OIC Plan, and any international protection mechanism.

“The occupation must end, and end now. It is time for freedom, self-determination and statehood, and Palestine’s full membership of the UN,” Dar said. “That will be the best guarantee for lasting peace in the region.”

ISLAMABAD: At least one person was injured when an explosion derailed three coaches of the Jaffar Express train in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, Pakistan’s state media reported on Monday.

The train, which was en route to Quetta from Peshawar, derailed in Sindh’s Shkarpur district after the explosion damaged part of the railway track, the APP news agency reported, citing Sukkur Divisional Superintendent of Railways Jamshaid Alam.

The incident forced authorities to suspend train operations on Monday evening.

“Teams from Sukkur were summoned to start repairing work after the incident,” the report read. “It may take up to further five hours to restore the track.”

This is the second incident involving Jaffar Express since it resumed operations in March, following a rare hijacking by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist militants in March with 400 passengers aboard.

The hijacking in the rugged Bolan mountain range ended on March 12 after an hours-long military operation that killed 33 militants and rescued hostages. The standoff also left 23 soldiers, three railway staff and five passengers dead.

In June, the train narrowly avoided a disaster, when a bogie of its power van derailed near Shikarpur’s Mandi Phatak area, according to the APP report.

The provincial government has ordered an investigation into Monday’s explosion.

Pakistan’s railway system faces frequent derailments due to poor maintenance and militant attacks targeting rail tracks, especially in Sindh and Balochistan provinces.

These incidents underscore an urgent need for infrastructure and security upgrades across the rail network.