ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a telephonic conversation with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris, in which he admired Ireland’s recent decision to recognize Palestine as a state, Sharif’s office said.
The Pakistan prime minister felicitated his Irish counterpart on his assumption of office and remarked that his youth and dynamism would bring major changes to Ireland, according to a statement issued from Sharif’s office.
He noted that Pakistan had always advocated that a two-state solution, in accordance with relevant United Nations (UN) resolutions, was the only way to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.
“Ireland’s decision would send a message of hope and solidarity to the innocent Palestinians who were suffering Israel’s brutal atrocities,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“It would also go a long way in promoting the Palestine cause and would urge other countries to follow Ireland.”
The prime ministers of Ireland, Spain and Norway said on Wednesday they would formally recognize Palestine as a state on May 28, following recent recognitions by Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas. The additions have brought the total number of countries recognizing the Palestinian state to nearly 150.
PM Harris said that Ireland had taken a principled decision in consultation with other European allies because the extent of Israel’s military action in Gaza could no longer be condoned in any way.
“The Irish felt that this decision was necessary to promote normalization in the occupied territories,” he was quoted as saying.
Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the just struggle of the Palestinian people and lauded the decision of the International Court of Justice to order Israel to stop its assault on Gaza and Rafah.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza, launched last October, at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.

EAST MEADOW: In the shadow of New York skyscrapers a field of dreams emerges, but it is not a baseball diamond. It’s for another bat-and-ball sport — cricket — that supporters are betting will finally bowl Americans over.
The centuries-old English game has a feverish following throughout much of the world, but the United States, long partial to American football, basketball and national pastime baseball, has been a stubborn holdout.
That may change early next month when the United States has its moment in the cricket sun, co-hosting the Twenty20 World Cup — the championship series for a shortened format of cricket.
The temporary new stadium, financed entirely by the International Cricket Council, the sport’s global governing body, will host eight tournament matches including the June 9 headliner, a potentially epic clash between powerhouses India and Pakistan, two of the sport’s biggest rivals.
Some 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of New York, a forest of metal beams supporting 34,000 bleacher seats rises from Long Island’s Eisenhower Park, a site the ICC chose after its earlier plan in the Bronx fell through.
It is not quite the gracious as Lord’s cricket ground in London, but Nassau County International Cricket Stadium will be in the spotlight shortly — thanks to a swift green light from local authorities.
“The world is coming right here to Nassau County. You’re going to have kings and princes and big dignitaries,” beamed the county’s deputy commissioner of parks, Michael D’Ambrosio.
“A lot of people are very envious and jealous that we got this,” he told AFP, noting the tournament’s massive global viewership.
The ICC, for its part, is investing big in the sport’s future in the US, particularly the New York region, home to several hundred thousand people with links to cricket-playing countries, notably India and Pakistan.
The India-Pakistan showdown is already sold out, with tickets now topping $1,000 each online.
But once the stadium is dismantled in July, local cricket will return to its struggling state. Despite having around 10,000 players, the sport has no dedicated stadium in New York.
“Cricket is growing, but the infrastructure — that’s where the fight is,” lamented Ajith Shetty, president of the Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL), the region’s premier cricket grouping.
New York does field a team in Major League Cricket, the professional league launched last year, and plays on dedicated pitches — in Texas and North Carolina, where all MLC matches occur to control costs.
“We are exploring opportunities to create a permanent venue close to our loyal fan base,” a spokesperson for defending MLC champions MI New York told AFP.
Meanwhile CCL players lug a 500-pound (225-kilogram) mat from park to park, which acts as the “pitch,” the rectangular area at the center of a cricket field.
“No other sport has to put in this much work, only cricket in New York. They make us suffer,” said Shetty, an Indian-born entrepreneur.
“New York used to be a Makkah of cricket,” he added. But while conditions have stagnated in the Big Apple, other states have improved, especially Texas.
Houston is where team USA stunned Bangladesh on Thursday to sweep their three-match T20 international series ahead of the World Cup.
Backed by local entrepreneurs, some CCL clubs pay players thousands of dollars per year, although not enough to quit their day jobs.
Waqas Ashiq, who plays for Long Island United CC and recalls the struggles back when the team started in 2008, sees the glass half full.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said before strolling on to the field to bat.
“I’m hopeful that with this World Cup coming, people get their interest piqued a little bit.”
According to Shetty, the entrepreneur, the ICC is keen to invest in US youth development, particularly in light of cricket returning to the Olympics, at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Schools are also showing interest.
The challenge now, agreed Ashiq, in addition to the quest for a permanent stadium, is involving the next generation — children of the cricket-loving immigrants who have made New York their home.
“That’s the only way to grow the sport and make sure it’s secure for the next 10, 20, 30 years.”