ISLAMABAD: Key Pakistani politicians and analysts have hailed Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank and made strong comparisons with Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s recent revocation of Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status.
In a controversial, televised statement on Tuesday, Netanyahu pledged Israel would move to annex Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank if he won a stiffly contested election just a week away. The West Bank was captured by Israel in a 1967 war, but Palestinians, who signed interim peace deals with Israel in the 1990s, seek to make the area part of a future state.
Around 65,000 Palestinians and 11,000 Israeli settlers live in the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea area.
After the announcement, Saudi Arabia has led the call to condemn Netanyahu’s remarks, and described it as “a very dangerous escalation.”
“I must appreciate Saudi Arabia for taking a firm and clear position and denouncing the announcement by Netanyahu. I would also like to commend the immediate (calling) an emergency OIC meeting by Saudi Arabia,” Sehar Kamran, former senator from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, told Arab News, and likened Netanyahu’s annexation plans to Modi’s move in Indian-administered Kashmir in August.
“We see (only) symbolic reactions from the Muslim world on such illegal annexations which has encouraged Netanyahu and Modi to fulfill their dangerous agendas,” she said.
Arab League foreign ministers and the European Union also condemned Netanyahu’s plan, saying it would undermine any chance of progress for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In a statement issued by the Royal Court, Saudi Arabia called for an emergency meeting for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the level of foreign ministers, “to discuss this issue, develop an urgent plan of action and review the attitudes toward Israel, to address this announcement and take the necessary measures.”
“We welcome the kingdom’s rejection and condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister’s announcement and I think Pakistan should join Saudi Arabia too on this issue in OIC proposed meeting,” Senator Raja Zaffar ul Haq, the leader of the opposition in the Senate from the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) said.
US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind Israel since taking office, including by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians. Trump also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.
Now, Pakistan’s leading analysts and academics are drawing comparisons between Israel’s annexation plan and India’s abrogation of partial constitutional autonomy for the disputed region of Kashmir, which both India and Pakistan own parts of but claim in full.
“In fact, it is India that has followed Israel’s example by annexing Kashmir. There is a strong similarity between the two annexations. The Muslim world has been silent on the creeping Israeli expansion over the years and a divided house can’t do much,” Pakistani political analyst and author, Zahid Hussain, told Arab News.
“With the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the process of annexation had already started with the tacit support from the Trump administration. Netanyahu just wants to formalize the annexation,” he said.
Lahore-based politics professor Rasul Bakhsh Rais, from the Lahore University of Management Sciences, said the situations in the West Bank and Kashmir were similar.
“In both cases, Muslim majority areas have been annexed by an occupying state. Both are attempting to fragment the native populations by gerrymandering geography,” he said.
On August 5th, India flooded its part of Muslim majority Kashmir valley with troops and imposed a complete curfew and communications lockdown, as Prime Minister Modi withdrew special rights for the region.
Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had pushed for radical political change in Kashmir even before he won re-election in May, saying its laws hindered integration with the rest of India.
Pakistani leaders laud Saudi stand on Netanyahu’s annex pledge, draw Kashmir parallels
Pakistani leaders laud Saudi stand on Netanyahu’s annex pledge, draw Kashmir parallels
- Saudi Arabia called emergency OIC meeting of foreign ministers after Netanyahu’s post-election pledge to annex Jordan Valley
- India has followed Israel’s example by annexing Kashmir, analyst says
World Bank approves $400 million to expand water, sanitation services in Pakistan’s Punjab
- Project aims to improve access for 4.5 million people and curb waterborne diseases
- Program to prioritize women’s participation and climate-resilient urban infrastructure
ISLAMABAD: The World Bank this week approved $400 million for a new project to expand access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services for around 4.5 million people in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, aiming to curb waterborne diseases and reduce long-term public health costs.
The project, known as the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program (PICP), is the second phase of the World Bank-supported Pakistan Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services Multiphase Programmatic Approach. It will focus on rehabilitating water supply networks, sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants, while expanding stormwater drainage infrastructure across 16 secondary cities in Punjab.
Punjab faces persistent challenges in providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, with many urban households relying on contaminated sources. Weak infrastructure and limited hygiene services contribute to high rates of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis, which disproportionately affect children and low-income communities.
“Reducing child stunting is essential for Pakistan’s future. Through the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program, we are investing in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services to break the cycle of malnutrition and disease that holds back so many children from reaching their full potential,” the World Bank quoted its Country Director for Pakistan, Bolormaa Amgaabazar, as saying in a statement.
“In collaboration with the Punjab Government, the program represents a significant step forward in improving urban infrastructure and strengthening local institutions, thereby laying the foundation for healthier communities and a more prosperous Pakistan.”
Child stunting, a form of chronic malnutrition that leaves children too short for their age, is often linked to repeated infections, poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water, and remains a major public health concern in Pakistan.
Beyond water and sanitation, the project will also support solid waste management systems to improve sanitary waste disposal, extending services to an additional two million people in Punjab’s urban areas. The program will strengthen the capacity of local governments, including efforts to improve revenue generation and long-term service sustainability.
“The program complements infrastructure investments with capacity building and revenue generation, helping to ensure that service delivery is well sustained,” the statement quoted Amena Raja, Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank, as saying.
“It will also help Punjab’s cities better withstand floods and droughts, ensuring urban development is both environmentally responsible and resilient to climate change.”
The program includes a gender-focused component, prioritizing the hiring of women in decision-making roles, establishing gender-compliant service desks and supporting skills development. It also aims to mobilize private capital to support water and sanitation services in Punjab’s secondary cities.
Pakistan has been a member of the World Bank since 1950 and has received more than $48 billion in assistance since. The Bank’s current portfolio in the country comprises 54 projects with total commitments of $15.7 billion, while its private-sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, has invested about $13 billion since 1956.
Earlier this year, Pakistan and the World Bank signed a first-of-its-kind agreement for a plan to focus $20 billion in lending to the cash-strapped nation over the coming decade on development issues like the impact of climate change as well as boosting private-sector growth.
