Pakistan and other Muslim countries on Monday slammed Israeli violations of the fragile Gaza ceasefire and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territory, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement on October 9, agreeing to free the Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of United States President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. Pakistan was one of the eight Arab and Muslim countries to work with Trump on the plan.

Despite occasional flare-ups, the fragile truce has been holding in Gaza. The truce, which left thorny issues like the disarmament of Hamas and a timeline for Israeli withdrawal from Gaza unresolved, has been tested by unilateral Israeli bombardment since coming into force.

The foreign ministers of Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan — the same countries that met with Trump on Sept 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly — met at the Coordination Meeting of Arab-Islamic Foreign Ministers in Istanbul today to discuss the ceasefire.

A statement from the FO said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and other Arab-Islamic diplomats deliberated on the way forward for a lasting ceasefire and sustainable peace in Gaza.

“The leaders jointly called for urgent humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, condemned Israeli ceasefire violations, demanded Israel’s withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territory and emphasised the rebuilding of Gaza.

“Pakistan reaffirmed its principled stance for the establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in line with the UN and OIC resolutions.”

The countries said that Gaza’s future must be Palestinian-led and avoid any new system of tutelage.

Turkiye, which played a central role in forging the now shaky three-week-old ceasefire, is pushing for Muslim nations to bring their influence to bear on the reconstruction of the embattled territory.

“Our principle is that Palestinians should govern the Palestinians and ensure their own security, the international community should support this in the best possible way — diplomatically, institutionally and economically,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said after the talks.

“Nobody wants to see a new system of tutelage emerge,” he told a news conference.

“We’ve now reached an extremely critical stage: we do not want the genocide in Gaza to resume,” Fidan added, saying all seven nations supported plans for the Palestinians to take control of Gaza’s security and governance.

Fidan, who held talks at the weekend with a Hamas delegation led by its chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, said the movement was “ready to hand Gaza to a committee of Palestinians”.

He also expressed hope that reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the rival West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, “will bear fruit as soon as possible”, saying inter-Palestinian unity would “strengthen Palestine’s representation in the international community”.

Fidan said it was crucial that the emerging International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that will monitor the Gaza ceasefire under Trump’s plan, have a “mandate defined by a UN Security Council resolution and a framework for legitimacy”.

Washington is currently working with Arab and international partners to decide on the composition of the force, with Turkiye hoping to play a role, despite fierce opposition from Israel.

“The countries we’ve spoken with say they will decide whether to send troops based on … the ISF’s mandate and authority,” Fidan said.

“First, a general consensus needs to be reached on a draft, then it needs to be approved by the members of the Security Council.

“And it needs to be free from vetoes by any of the permanent (UNSC) members,” he said of a blocking move frequently used by key Israel ally Washington.

Israel has long viewed Turkiye’s diplomatic overtures with suspicion over Ankara’s close ties with Hamas and adamantly opposes it joining the task force that is meant to take over after Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.

A Turkish disaster relief team, sent to help efforts to recover the remains of those trapped under the rubble — including Israelis seized by Hamas — has been stuck at the border because Israel refused to let them in, according to Ankara.

Earlier, FM Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepen cooperation with Türkiye across political, economic, and defence spheres in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, while agreeing to continue working together on the issue of Palestine.

Dar held a bilateral meeting with FM Fidan on the meeting’s sidelines, the FO said.

“During the meeting, the ministers expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan–Türkiye bilateral relations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepening cooperation across political, economic, and defence spheres.

“Both sides agreed to continue working together on the issue of Palestine, especially establishing sustainable peace in Gaza.”

It added that both leaders reaffirmed the strong bonds of brotherhood and mutual support that continue to underpin Pakistan–Türkiye relations and agreed to maintain close coordination on regional and international issues.

Earlier in the day, the FO posted on X that upon arrival, FM Dar was received by Ambassador Ahmet Cemil Miroğlu, Director General of Protocol, as well as officials of the Pakistan Embassy.

State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani is on the cusp of victory as New York City’s mayoral race enters its final day before Election Day.

The 33-year-old democratic socialist has shaken up traditional politics with his distinctive social media outreach and promises to address New Yorkers’ economic challenges.

Mamdani — who serves as the three-term representative for Assembly District 36 in the New York State Assembly — will enter Election Day on November 4 as the frontrunner, leading in the majority of race surveys.

The Democratic nominee had been leading independent candidate Andrew M Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa throughout the voting, which began on October 25.

A fresh Quinnipiac University poll, conducted from October 23 to 27, gave Mamdani 43% of the vote, followed by Cuomo on 33% and Sliwa on 14%, as per a report by AFP.

While Mamdani’s opponents have repeatedly targeted him with racist and Islamophobic slurs, he has kept his campaign focused on New York’s issues.

The harshest criticism has come from US President Donald Trump, who labelled Mamdani a “communist” and threatened to withhold federal funds from the city if he were elected to the seat.

However, the 33-year-old democratic socialist has maintained that he was “fighting for the very working people” who were “betrayed” by Trump after his election as the US president.

The New York mayoral race has centred on the cost of living, crime and how each candidate would handle Trump.

“Mamdani is an unusual political figure and really captures the spirit of the moment. This is a moment where a loud anti-Trump voice in America’s biggest city is going to get news,” Lincoln Mitchell, a politics professor at Columbia University, told AFP.

“Frankly, a Muslim candidate for mayor of New York is an enormous story.”

NYC Board of Elections data showed 275,006 registered Democrats had cast ballots, as had 46,115 Republicans, along with 42,383 voters unaffiliated with any party in the first five days of early voting, which ended on November 2.

Mamdani’s ascent has highlighted the gulf between the left and centre-right of the Democratic Party.

New York’s state governor, Kathy Hochul, a centrist, appeared at a Mamdani rally on October 26 but was drowned out by “tax the rich” chants, an AFP correspondent saw.

Hochul has been critical of Mamdani’s proposals to impose a 2% income tax on New Yorkers making more than $1 million.

Mamdani’s rise

Mamdani’s unlikely ascent has been fueled by young New Yorkers canvassing for him, with his campaign claiming 90,000 people have volunteered.

“It really comes back to people speaking to other New Yorkers about the city that we all love,” Mamdani told The Daily Show.

Teenager Abid Mahdi, a Queens native who leads canvases for Mamdani, told AFP that “when I think of Zohran, I think of what Bernie Sanders was to many Americans in 2016 and 2020. He is my Bernie Sanders in a lot of ways.”

Mamdani appeared with leftist standard-bearer Senator Bernie Sanders at a Queens rally on October 26.

“I’m 15 right now, I’ll be an adult and paying taxes at 18, right? The majority of laws will apply to me in about three years. So, why should I start caring then?” added Mahdi.

Underscoring the importance of older voters who typically turn out in greater numbers than youngsters, Mamdani attended a “paint and pour” session at an elder care home in Brooklyn on Thursday.

Torrential rain at the end of the week slowed canvassing, with the three leading candidates touring TV studios in a final push to woo wavering voters.

Ahead of the vote, Sliwa appeared in a surreal conservative rap video wearing a suit and his signature red beret.

Cuomo, 67, sought on Thursday to court Black and Muslim voters, campaigning in Harlem with current mayor Eric Adams, a corruption-accused Democrat who bowed out, eventually endorsing his former foe Cuomo.

There was a stir in the week when a British newspaper published what claimed to be an interview with former mayor and Mamdani backer Bill de Blasio in which he appeared to question the affordability of the Democratic socialist´s spending plans.

But the article was removed after the former mayor denied speaking to the journalist.

Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Monday that the conditions set by Afghanistan hold no significance and only the elimination of terrorism matters to Pakistan.

On October 19, Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both countries pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty; they were expected to meet again on October 25 to discuss matters further. The second round of talks on October 25 kicked off in Istanbul, with Islamabad eyeing a “concrete” mechanism to monitor Afghan Taliban actions aimed at preventing cross-border terrorist attacks.

The military’s spokesperson delivered a closed-door briefing to senior journalists belonging to select media outlets. “The conditions set by Afghanistan hold no significance,” Lt Gen Chaudhry told the journalists. “The important thing is the eradication of terrorism.”

He added that the guarantors of Pakistani security are the armed forces, not Afghanistan and that Islamabad has “never celebrated” the arrival of the Taliban. The military spokesperson further said that operations are underway against banned groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), with 1,667 terrorists killed.

“In Istanbul, the Afghan Taliban were clearly told that they need to control terrorism,” Lt Gen Chaudhry stated. “How they do it is their job. We conducted a counter-terrorism operation, and the terrorists fled to Afghanistan. Hand them over, we’ll deal with them according to the Constitution and the law.

“There will be no talks with terrorists, and Pakistan gave the Afghan Taliban a befitting response, which yielded the results we wanted.”

DG ISPR highlighted the role of the nexus between criminals and terrorist organisations, noting that through opium cultivation, terrorists make between Rs1.8 and 2.5 million per acre.

“The entire population joins them, even warlords join in, and they all work together,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.

He added that drugs are being smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan and further. “Afghan drug smugglers are interfering in Afghan politics.”

Senior journalist Hamid Mir, who attended the briefing, told Geo News that the journalists were presented with evidence of Afghan Taliban soldiers involved in terrorism in Pakistan.

“We were presented with the same evidence shared with the Afghan Taliban in Doha,” Mir reported. “These soldiers had Afghan and Afghan Army identification cards.

Border skirmishes and talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw a worsening of ties during recent weeks, which featured border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations.

The hostilities began last month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of October 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Afghan Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied.

For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. The Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple with the issue of terrorism and has suffered multiple casualties among security forces in intelligence-based operations.

After the initial skirmish on October 11, multiple others took place along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Meanwhile, strikes by Islamabad also targeted Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan.

Eventually, the two sides came together for dialogue in Doha, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries.

Türkiye and Qatar have deep ties with Pakistan, while Qatar also played a major role in the negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and Nato forces.