Pakistan reiterates call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza: FO Spox

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its call for holding Israel accountable for its grave crimes in Gaza and urged the global conscience to force Israel towards an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and bringing an end to the war on the Palestinian people.

“Pakistan believes the time has come to hold Israel accountable for its grave crimes… In this context, Pakistan notes positively the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 and expresses hope for a permanent and sustainable ceasefire and an end to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing.

She said that Pakistan welcomed the June 12 report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

“The findings of the commission of inquiry have confirmed reports of Israeli war crimes, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder or willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, forcible transfer, torture, and inhuman and cruel punishment,” she remarked.

The report called the Israeli authorities responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the military operations and attacks in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

Based on the interviews with victims and witnesses, hundreds of submissions, satellite imagery and forensic medical reports, the report calls for holding Israel accountable.

Calling this week important for Pakistan’s diplomacy for Palestine, she apprised the media of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar’s visit to Turkiye on June 8 to attend the extraordinary meeting of the D8 Council of Foreign Ministers, held to discuss the situation in Gaza. At the moot, Dar called for an urgency of an unconditional ceasefire, lifting of the siege, and unimpeded flow of aid for the Palestinian people, besides the efforts to end the war.

On the sidelines, he met with the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Malaysia, and the acting foreign minister of Iran.

The deputy prime minister also attended the high-level conference on Gaza held on June 10-11 in Amman, Jordan where he condemned the illegal acts of the occupation authorities for violating international law, employing starvation as a tool of war, and targeting humanitarian supplies and infrastructure.

He also criticized Israel for ignoring calls from the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the wider international community, and even its own allies to halt its aggression against the people of Gaza.

Besides, the deputy prime minister called for a complete, durable, and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and end to violence in the West Bank. He called for enhanced humanitarian assistance to Gaza and support for UNRWA, advocating for the reversal of suspended donor support.

Coming to the Kashmir issue, the spokesperson highlighted the 33rd anniversary of the massacre at Chota Bazaar, Srinagar observed on June 11 when in 1991, India’s Central Reserve Force personnel opened fire at civilians, which resulted in the killing of 32 civilians and injury to 22 others. The victims also included an old woman and a child.

“We remember the victims on this somber occasion and demand justice for them. Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to our Kashmir brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” she reiterated.