Pakistan Affirms Unwavering Support for Ending Israel’s Campaign Against Palestinians
Zehra said crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine were a “haunting stain on the conscience of humanity”.
Pakistan will participate in a consultative conference on Palestine being held in Iran’s capital Tehran on December 23, the Foreign Office said Thursday. “We will continue to support international efforts to bring an end to Israel’s ongoing campaign against the Palestinian people,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly press briefing.
The FO spokesperson said Pakistan remained deeply concerned over the ongoing campaign of brutality and large-scale massacre unleashed upon the Palestinian people. “We strongly condemn Israel’s ongoing war on hospitals and its barbarous bulldozing of tents in the courtyard and vicinity of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza that crushed to death numerous Palestinians including women, children, and wounded patients under treatment,” he said. She said the crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine were a “haunting stain on the conscience of humanity”. Bloch said Pakistan called for holding Israel accountable for its actions and the United Nations Security Council to take immediate effective action to impose a ceasefire and lift the inhumane siege against Gaza. She expressed concern over the recent statements made by senior Israeli officials rejecting the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state. “Such statements, especially the comments on the “Oslo Accords”, reflect the true intentions of the Israeli occupation authorities, their disregard for International law and commitments and rejection of a just resolution of the Palestinian question,” she said. The FO spokesperson said Pakistan firmly believed that the only just solution to the Palestinian question was the creation of an independent, viable, sovereign, and contiguous Palestinian State along pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds-Al-Sharif as its capital. Baloch said Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi this month issued 166 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visits to Shree Katas Raj Temples in Punjab and for participation in annual celebrations at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi, Sindh. Pakistan, she said, also issued visas to 3,000 Sikh pilgrims from India on the occasion of the 554th birthday celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak this month to visit Pakistan from November 25- December 4, 2023.
“Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, Pakistan welcomes and facilitates thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals and occasions every year,” she said. She said the issuance of pilgrimage visas was in line with Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate visits to religious shrines and promote interfaith harmony. This year, 6824 visas were issued to Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan. On the situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the FO spokesperson said Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to the Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
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ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said on Thursday that the current situation of Palestine was a cause of concern not only for the Muslim Ummah but also for the civilized nations of the world. During a meeting with Jordanian Ambassador Dr. Maen Khreasat who met with him here, the minister said that peace in Palestine was the responsibility of the whole world.
“International community should play a role for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine,” Murtaza Solangi said. Besides, ceasefire between Palestine and Israel, coming elections in Pakistan and Jordan, regional security situation, cooperation in the media sectors and other important issues were discussed during the meeting. In the meeting, both the minister and Ambassador expressed concern over the tense situation in Palestine.
Expressing complete solidarity with the Palestinian people, Murtaza Solangi said that Jordan’s role in aid activities in Palestine was commendable. The Jordanian Ambassador said that a humanitarian crisis was brewing in Gaza due to lack of food.
Solangi said that Pakistan valued its relations with Jordan as the two countries had deep ties based on religion, common values and culture. The caretaker minister briefed the Jordanian Ambassador about the progress towards the general elections in Pakistan.
Elections would be held across the country on February 8 next year in Pakistan, Murtaza Solangi adding the Election Commission of Pakistan had already released the election schedule. He said all registered political parties were provided 54 days for election campaign.
The Caretaker Government, he said was providing all possible support and facilities to the ECP to ensure the conduct of free, transparent and impartial elections. Murtaza Solangi expressed his best wishes for the successful completion of the election process in Jordan next year. He expressed the hope that a new era of relations between the two countries would begin with the governments established as a result of the electoral process in Jordan and Pakistan. The meeting also agreed to promote cooperation in potential areas of trade and investment between Pakistan and Jordan.
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The important meeting of the 10th Joint Ministerial Commission would be held in Islamabad next year, Jordanian Ambassador said. He said that the joint ministerial commission meeting will review the trade and bilateral relations between the two countries.
The existing relations between Pakistan and Jordan, he added should be promoted in terms of cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment. In the meeting, emphasis was placed on increasing cooperation between Pakistan and Jordan in the fields of media and information. The minister and Jordanian envoy also discussed the memorandum of understanding between PTV, APP, Radio Pakistan and Jordanian Radio, Television and Jordan News Agency Petra. They called for speeding up the process of Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries for cooperation between state media institutions. The caretaker Federal Minister of Information also emphasized on the exchange of media delegations between the two countries.
