ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended his condolences to President Vladimir Putin and the people of Russia after a passenger plane crashed in the country’s far east region killed all 48 on board.

Russia’s Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief said on Thursday the An-24 plane, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines, dropped off radar screens while approaching its destination, Tynda, a town in Russia’s far east Amur region bordering China.

According to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency, an error by the plane’s crew while landing amid poor visibility could be one of the likely reasons for the crash.

“On behalf of the people of Pakistan and myself, I extend our deepest condolences to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian people on the tragic loss of lives in the passenger plane crash in eastern Russia today,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.

“We stand in solidarity with the bereaved families in this moment of profound sorrow,” he added.

Russian state media showed images of the reported crash site, showing debris scattered in a dense forest surrounded by thick plumes of smoke.

While Russian aviation safety standards have improved in recent years, accidents, especially involving aging planes in far-flung regions, are not uncommon. In July 2021, all 28 people on board an Antonov An-26 twin-engine turboprop died in a crash in Kamchatka.

In September 2021, an aging Antonov An-26 transport plane crashed in the Russian far east, killing six.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday pushed for greater cooperation between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations (UN) to counter rising extremism and “alarming resurgence” of Islamophobia worldwide.

As the president of the UN Security Council for July, Pakistan chaired a meeting at the multilateral forum to discuss the cooperation between the OIC and the UN. The briefing was titled: ‘Cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations.’

In 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution sponsored by 60 OIC members states, spearheaded by Pakistan, which designated Mar. 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Speaking at the briefing, Dar noted that the UN-OIC engagement continues to grow, from mediation and political transition to coordinated responses in humanitarian emergency, advocacy on issues of disarmament, development, and protection of religious and cultural heritage.

“Excellencies, nowhere in this cooperation is it more necessary than in encountering the rising tide of extremism, particularly the alarming resurgence of Islamophobia,” Dar said during his address.

He added that religious hatred is not only “morally indefensible,” but also strikes at the very foundation of the UN Charter. The deputy premier noted that the global community’s endorsement of Pakistan’s initiative to designate 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, followed by the adoption of a resolution leading to the appointment of a UN Special Envoy on Islamophobia, are “milestones” that reaffirm the OIC and UN’s shared resolve.

“There has long been a strong voice on this issue, and we must further institutionalize its role in global efforts to promote respect, inclusion, and interfaith harmony,” Dar said.

Presidential statements are formal expressions of the Security Council’s consensus but are not legally binding. They require unanimous approval and are often preceded by complex negotiations.

Founded in 1969, the OIC includes 57 member states across four continents and serves as a platform for collaboration on political, economic and social issues affecting Muslim communities worldwide.