ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged world powers to play their role in ending Israel’s war on Gaza, as the Jewish state pushes on with its military campaign in Rafah despite global protests and outrage. 

The prime minister’s televised comments came as Israel ramped up its military operations against Hamas in Rafah, which it launched earlier this month. 

Israel has vowed to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in the city in southern Gaza, where it says it believes Israeli hostages are also being held. Its offensive in Rafah since last week has killed dozens of Palestinians as NGOs and professional unions declared Gaza a “famine-stricken” zone.

Israel’s war on Gaza, which is about to enter its eighth month, has caused widespread outrage in many parts of the world owing to mounting civilian casualties. Israel has killed over 36,000 people in its military campaigns, including women and children, in Gaza since Oct. 7 when it retaliated to a surprise attack from Hamas. 

“I urge world powers to play their role in helping Palestinians get their rights,” Sharif said on Thursday. “We pray to God to bring a halt to this unjust war.”

Sharif lauded the governments of Norway, Spain and Ireland for recognizing Palestine as a state, hoping others would follow suit. 

“I believe this will give courage to other states to raise their voice with these European nations to demand a separate, independent homeland for Palestinians and will also put in efforts to do so,” he said. 

The Pakistani prime minister thanked Muslim states for raising their voices for the people of Palestine at global forums such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations. 

“The Saudi crown prince is taking the lead in this and also Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and other countries are involved too,” he said. 

Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. The South Asian country has called for an unconditional ceasefire and a separate homeland for Palestinians according to the wishes of the Palestinian people. 

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov urged Pakistani businesspersons on Thursday to capitalize on opportunities provided by international transit corridors passing through the Central Asian country as Islamabad eyes greater regional trade and connectivity. 

Bayramov arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday night for a two-day visit during which he met Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and held delegation-level talks. According to Pakistan’s foreign office, both sides reviewed progress on bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments.

Pakistan has aimed to enhance its role as a pivotal trade and transit hub connecting the Central Asian republics with the rest of the world, leveraging its strategic geographical position.

One of the main international transit corridors Pakistan can use to enhance regional trade is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also referred to as the Middle Corridor. It begins from southeast Asia and China, crosses Kazakhstan and connects to Azerbaijan through the Caspian Sea. From there, the route proceeds to Georgia, Turkiye, and Europe. It is utilized extensively in both directions.

“We invite Pakistani business representatives to consider the opportunities provided by the international transit corridors passing through the territory of Azerbaijan and the Baku International Sea Trade Port,” Bayramov said as he spoke at a joint media briefing with Dar in Islamabad.

The Baku port, situated at a pivotal intersection with Europe to the west, Asia to the east, and the Middle East to the south, serves as a hub for connecting these three major regions.

Relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan have strengthened recently, particularly in defense, energy, and trade. Last year, they signed an agreement for discounted LNG supplies from Azerbaijan to Pakistan to boost Pakistan’s energy reserves. 

Pakistan also seeks to boost its status as a key trade link between Central Asia and the world through the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. China has invested over $65 billion in the energy and infrastructure corridor which aims to enhance both countries’ connectivity and improve Pakistan’s infrastructure. 

Bayramov said Azerbaijan was also investing heavily in railroad infrastructure, both in its territory and neighborhood.

“At the same time we are aware of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and we believe that the transit transportation dimension of this project can also be a very good synergy when we talk about the participation of both countries in connectivity, in trade, and we see great potential here, and it was one of the topics of today’s discussions,” the Azeri foreign minister said. 

Pakistan has sought third-party investment in CPEC for which it has invited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Germany, UAE, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan to join the multi-billion-dollar project. However, there has been no progress on that front.

Dar, meanwhile, said both countries agreed to further enhance multifaceted cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, security, energy, and defense.

The Pakistani deputy premier also sought support from Azerbaijan in the upcoming election for non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) where Pakistan is vying to be elected for the eighth time.

Elections for five of the 10 non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for 2025-26 are scheduled for June 6.

“I will take this opportunity for your [Azerbaijan] great support for our candidature as the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the election which is going to be held on the 6th of June next month,” Dar added.

'PAKISTAN’S ADVANTAGEOUS LOCATION'

Taimur Ali, who works at the Central Asia section at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, said Pakistan’s growing inclination toward maintaining beneficial bilateral and multilateral relations with Central Asian republics stemmed from Islamabad’s comprehensive national security policy, which was published in 2022.

“Apart from this, the tilt toward Central Asian republics is a factor in the overall Eurasian integration process as well, because Pakistan’s strategic location is at a very advantageous position, which plays the role of a zipper between Central Asian and South Asian countries,” he told Arab News.

He said Pakistan wants to remain connected to Central Asian states through CPEC to derive maximum benefits from the mega project.

“Since Central Asian republics are geographically very close to Pakistan and CPEC-related projects, it is but natural that Pakistan would invite all Central Asian countries to invest and be a part of the CPEC project,” he explained.