Pakistani parties rally in Karachi to protest India’s missile strikes 

ISLAMABAD: A high-level parliamentary delegation of the Saudi Shoura Council arrived in Pakistan to strengthen parliamentary ties between the two countries, the National Assembly of Pakistan said on Sunday.

The delegation, led by the Head of the Saudi-Pak Parliamentary Friendship Committee Dr. Abdulrahman bin Sanhat bin Abdullah Al-Harbi, is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.

It comprises members of the Saudi Shoura Council and the Saudi-Pak Parliamentary Friendship Committee, Dr. Iman bint Abdulaziz Al-Jabreen and Engineer Salem bin Ali Al-Shahrani.

The delegates held a meeting with NA Speaker Sadiq in Islamabad, during which both sides agreed to promote parliamentary exchanges, according to a statement on the National Assembly of Pakistan’s Facebook page.

“The Pak-Saudi Friendship Group established in the National Assembly is playing an important role in promoting harmony between the parliaments of the two countries,” NA Speaker Sadiq was quoted as saying.

“Exchanges of parliamentary delegations will give the parliamentarians of both countries an opportunity to benefit from each other’s experiences.”

Dr. Abdulrahman said Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to its relations with Pakistan, according to the Pakistani National Assembly statement.

“During the meeting, discussions were held on the unity of the Muslim world, and joint role for peace and development in the region,” it read.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and brotherly relations. The Kingdom is home to over 2 million Pakistani expatriates, serving as the top destination for remittances for the cash-strapped South Asian country.

Saudi Arabia has also extended significant support to Pakistan during prolonged economic challenges faced by Islamabad in recent years, including external financing and assistance with International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programs.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, China and Russia will present a joint resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East, the Pakistani mission to the United Nations (UN) said on Sunday, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting to discuss US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

It was not immediately clear when it could be put to a vote. The three countries circulated the draft text, and asked members to share their comments by Monday evening. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

The US is likely to oppose the draft resolution, which condemns the attacks against “peaceful nuclear sites and facilities under the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards in the Islamic Republic of Iran” and says that such attacks represent a threat to international peace and security, and to the entire safeguards regime of the IAEA, according to a draft seen by Arab News.

It calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue to reach an agreement acceptable to all parties that “guarantees the exclusively peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for complete lifting of all multilateral and unilateral sanctions.”

“Pakistan, China and Russia jointly have drafted a resolution and it is hoped that other countries like Algeria may also become its approvers,” Pakistan’s UN mission said.

“So far, it has been shared with the members countries for comments, which is a procedure before tabling it in the UNSC.”

The member countries will comment on the draft resolution and then a final draft will be tabled in the Security Council.

The world awaited Iran’s response on Sunday after President Donald Trump said the US had “obliterated” Tehran’s key nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.

Iran requested the UN Security Council meeting, calling on the 15-member body “to address this blatant and unlawful act of aggression, to condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement on Sunday that the US and Israel “do not deserve any condemnation, but rather an expression of appreciation and gratitude for making the world a safer place.”

UN Secretary-General Guterres branded the US strikes on Iran as a “dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security.”

“At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace,” Guterres said in a statement.