Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese calling out Israel for pushing through a systematic agenda of forced displacement, annihilation, and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Pakistan endorses Ms. Albanese’s stance that Israel is obstructing international investigation efforts, including denying the entry of fact-finding teams from the United Nations. We support her call on the international community to act decisively in ending Israel’s unbridled atrocities against Palestinians and to ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza, as well as full financing and protection of Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA),” Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing.
The UN report points to Israel’s actions as amounting to genocide, driven by territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing.
Baloch also raised alarms about Israel’s ongoing attacks on relief operations and medical facilities, both in Gaza and now in Lebanon.
“After destroying Gaza’s health infrastructure, Israeli occupation forces are now targeting hospitals in Lebanon. So far, 34 hospitals have been damaged, 111 emergency medical technicians killed, and 107 ambulances targeted in Lebanon,” she said and reiterated Pakistan’s call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unhindered humanitarian access and healthcare to those in urgent need.
Referring to the reports of the deteriorating health of Kashmiri leader Muhammad Yaseen Malik, who is on a hunger strike protesting poor conditions and insufficient medical care in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail, she urged the Indian authorities to provide quality medical care and immediately release him.
The spokesperson also apprised the media of the recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi who met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar wherein two sides agreed to strengthen regular high-level exchanges, advance cooperation and dialogue on trade, energy, and security, and enhance border management and people-to-people contacts.
Meanwhile, the FO spokesperson also briefed the media that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif would visit Saudi Arabia to participate in the Second Joint Arab Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11.
She added that the premier would also visit Baku, Azerbaijan, to participate in the World Leaders Climate Action Summit COP29 on November 12-13.