ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday expressed “grave concern” over a slew of incidents in various parts of the occupied Palestinian territories, its foreign office said, including a raid by Israeli forces on Al-Aqsa Mosque that injured over 150 Palestinians and resulted in arrest of 300 others.
Israeli security forces entered the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem before dawn as thousands of Palestinians were gathered for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan. The raid set off clashes that medics said wounded at least 152 Palestinians.
The clashes come at a particularly sensitive time, when Ramadan this year coincides with Passover, a major weeklong Jewish holiday beginning Friday at sundown, and Christian holy week, which culminates on Easter Sunday. The holidays are expected to bring tens of thousands of faithful into Jerusalem’s Old City, home to major sites sacred to all three religions.
Videos circulating online showed police firing tear gas and stun grenades on the sprawling esplanade surrounding the mosque and Palestinians hurling rocks. Others showed worshippers barricading themselves inside the mosque itself amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.
“Reports of Israeli forces’ raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque, today, indicate 152 injured and more than 300 Palestinians detained,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“This highly condemnable assault on worshippers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, is an egregious violation of all humanitarian norms and human rights laws.”
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have killed dozens and injured countless Palestinians in the occupied East Jerusalem and other areas.
“This escalation of violence by Israeli forces in the Palestinian territories is deplorable. We pray for the earliest recovery of those injured,” the statement said.
Reaffirming its consistent and unstinted support for the Palestinian cause, Islamabad called upon the international community to take urgent steps to protect innocent Palestinian lives, and uphold international law and principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter.
“We support the Palestinian people for the realization of their right to self-determination and other fundamental rights as well as a two-state solution, in accordance with relevant UN and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders and Al Quds Al Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State,” the statement added.
Pakistan voices ‘grave concern’ over Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa mosque
https://arab.news/cap89
Pakistan voices ‘grave concern’ over Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa mosque
- The raid set off clashes that injured over 150 Palestinians, resulted in arrest of 300 others
- Islamabad calls the raid an ‘egregious violation’ of humanitarian norms and human rights laws
Pakistan, China to sign multiple MoUs at major agriculture investment conference today
- Hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani firms to attend Islamabad event
- Conference seen as part of expanding CPEC ties into agriculture, trade
KARACHI: Islamabad and Beijing are set to sign multiple memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to boost agricultural investment and cooperation at a major conference taking place in the capital today, Monday, with hundreds of Chinese and Pakistani companies expected to participate.
The conference is being billed by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research as a platform for deepening bilateral agricultural ties and supporting broader economic engagement between the two countries.
“Multiple memorandums of understanding will be signed at the Pakistan–China Agricultural Conference,” the Ministry of National Food Security said in a statement. “115 Chinese and 165 Pakistani companies will participate.”
The conference reflects a growing emphasis on expanding Pakistan-China economic cooperation beyond the transport and energy foundations of the flagship China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into agriculture, industry and technology.
Under its first phase launched in 2015, CPEC, a core component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, focused primarily on transportation infrastructure, energy generation and connectivity projects linking western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan. That phase included motorways, power plants and the development of the Gwadar Port in the country's southwest, aimed at helping Pakistan address chronic power shortages and enhance transport connectivity.
In recent years, both governments have formally moved toward a “CPEC 2.0” phase aimed at diversifying the corridor’s impact into areas such as special economic zones, innovation, digital cooperation and agriculture. Second-phase discussions have highlighted Pakistan’s goal of modernizing its agricultural sector, attracting Chinese technology and investment, and boosting export potential, with high-level talks taking place between planning officials and investors in Beijing.
Agri-sector cooperation has also seen practical collaboration, with joint initiatives examining technology transfer, export protocols and value-chain development, including partnerships in livestock, mechanization and horticulture.
Organizers say the Islamabad conference will bring together government policymakers, private sector investors, industry associations and multinational agribusiness firms from both nations. Discussions will center on investment opportunities, technology adoption, export expansion and building linkages with global buyers within the framework of Pakistan-China economic cooperation.
