Pakistan Condemns Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland, Reaffirms Support for Somalia’s Sovereignty
NAEEM MEHBOOB
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, strongly condemning Israel’s “illegal and unlawful” recognition of the Somaliland region.
Speaking at an Extraordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Dar said Israel’s move was “a direct assault on Somalia’s internationally recognized borders” and a flagrant violation of international law. He also denounced the subsequent visit by Israel’s foreign minister to Somaliland as unwarranted and highly provocative.
Dar said Pakistan had also voiced firm support for Somalia and condemned Israel’s actions during a briefing at the UN Security Council. He stressed that state sovereignty and territorial integrity constitute a peremptory norm of international law from which no deviation or derogation is permitted.
The deputy prime minister said Somalia’s internationally recognized borders are sacrosanct and inviolable, and that Somaliland remains an integral, inseparable and inalienable part of Somalia.
“No external actor has either the legal standing or the moral authority to alter that fundamental reality,” Dar said, according to a Foreign Office press release. He added that any act, statement or recognition by a state or external entity regarding any part of Somalia should be considered null and void, with no political or legal effect.
Dar warned that recognizing an integral part of a sovereign state is not a diplomatic act but an act of political aggression, setting a dangerous precedent that threatens peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region and beyond.
He said Pakistan joined other OIC member states in unequivocally rejecting Israel’s move through a joint statement issued immediately after the purported recognition of Somaliland. The statement described the recognition of “parts of states” as a violation of core principles of international law and the UN Charter, and warned of serious repercussions for regional and international security.
Dar said it was vital for the OIC and the broader international community to firmly reject Israel’s action to prevent it from becoming a precedent for other countries.
He also expressed concern over developments in the Horn of Africa at a time when Somalia is making tangible progress on its political and institutional path. Dar noted Somalia’s advances in national reconciliation, constitutional reform and the revitalization of state institutions, as well as positive trends in the financial sector and efforts toward inclusive, one-person-one-vote elections, which he said are key steps toward strengthening democracy and stability in the country.
