PAKISTAN expressed “serious concern” on Thursday on recent attacks targeting Azerbaijan and Turkiye, calling for restraint and emphasizing the need for dialogue and diplomacy.
The call comes against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel, which has expanded across the Middle East with Tehran targeting US bases and assets in other countries and Tel Aviv targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
There are reasons to believe that Israeli agents are active on different fronts in their attempt to expand the sphere of hostile environment for Iran and deprive it of the global sympathy and solidarity. There have been missile and drone attacks on American facilities in some countries but Tehran has clarified it was not involved in these attacks. On Thursday, a drone struck an airport building in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan injuring two people, for which Azerbaijan held Iran responsible, but Iran has denied involvement in the incident and blames Israel. On Wednesday, Turkiye summoned the Iranian Ambassador after a missile — apparently targeting a Cyprus base — landed in Turkish territory. Iran’s armed forces have also denied firing any missile towards Turkiye. Earlier, an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was hit but, in a statement, Iran forcefully denied its involvement. Pakistan’s expression of solidarity with Azerbaijan and Turkiye is understandable as it has close relations with the two brotherly countries but the aggrieved countries must carry out in-depth investigations to unmask attacker/attackers. Knee-jerk reaction has the possibility of advancing the objectives of the enemy, which wants to pit Islamic nations against one another. At the same time, it is the responsibility of Iran to bring more clarity to its war strategy, avoiding acts that could add to its own problems. In view of the dangers involved, it is the responsibility of the leadership of the Muslim Ummah to join hands to seek an immediate end of hostilities against Iran. There is an encouraging development in that Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed on jointly urging maximum restraint to Mideast crisis stakeholders but it would be more appropriate if an urgent meeting of the OIC is convened to deliberate on different aspects of the evolving situation and devise a workable strategy for restoration of peace.
