ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday issued a strong statement condemning the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of Israeli settlers last week, calling upon the international community to take steps to check Israel’s aggression in the region.
Over 400 Israeli settlers launched a raid on Sunday on the compound’s courtyards in occupied Jerusalem, in the latest breach of one of Islam’s holiest sites. The incident invited scathing criticism and condemnation from Muslim countries Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt, who called on Israel to stop provoking the religious sentiments of millions of Muslims across the globe.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the recent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by a group of extremists under the watch of Israeli occupation forces,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a media briefing. “We believe that a continuation of such unfortunate incidents this year constitutes a flagrant violation of the relevant international norms and conventions.”
She said the act was an “affront” to the religious sentiments of Muslims around the world.
“Pakistan reiterates its call upon the international community to act in concert to bring an end to Israel’s escalatory practices in the interest of peace, security and stability in the Middle East and beyond,” Baloch added.
Pakistan has frequently condemned Israel’s atrocities in Palestine following rising bloodshed in the West Bank last year after the Israeli government undertook a new drive to expand West Bank settlements.
Pakistan has for decades backed the demand for an independent and contiguous Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) resolutions.
Pakistan strongly condemns storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers
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Pakistan strongly condemns storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli settlers
- On Sunday, over 400 Israeli settlers launched a raid at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in Jerusalem
- Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson says act an ‘affront’ to religious sentiments of millions of Muslims
Bodies of Pakistani nationals who died attempting illegal migration repatriated from Iran
- Pakistan’s envoy in Tehran warns youth against human smugglers after deaths in harsh weather
- Pakistan reported sharp fall in illegal migration to Europe this year amid nationwide crackdown
ISLAMABAD: The bodies of two Pakistani nationals, who died near the Iran-Türkiye border after attempting to travel illegally to Europe, have been repatriated to the country, said a senior diplomat on Tuesday, reiterating warnings against human smugglers amid an intensified crackdown by authorities in Islamabad on illegal migration.
Pakistan says it has stepped up action against illegal immigration and human trafficking in recent years, reporting a 47% drop in illegal migration to Europe this year and the arrest of more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers, according to official figures.
However, people continue to attempt dangerous irregular journeys in search of work and better economic opportunities abroad.
“The mortal remains of Pakistani nationals Mr. Armanullah s/o Gul Rahman and Mr. Ihtasham s/o Mukhtar Gul, both residents of Nowshera, have been repatriated to Pakistan through Taftan border earlier today,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, said in a post on social media platform X. “Both had fallen victim to the greed of human smugglers and lost their lives in extremely harsh weather conditions near Iran’s border with Turkiye.”
“I once again request the youth back home not to be trapped by human smugglers and instead follow the legal path to travel abroad,” he added, thanking the government of the Balochistan province in Pakistan for arranging the transportation of the bodies and offering condolences to the victims’ families.
The issue illegal immigration has drawn heightened scrutiny since 2023, when hundreds of people, including Pakistani nationals, died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in an overcrowded vessel that sank off the Greek coast, prompting Islamabad to launch nationwide investigations into human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Authorities have since arrested Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged travel documents, highlighting the scale of document fraud linked to illegal departures.
In September, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) released a list of more than 100 of Pakistan’s “most wanted” human smugglers and identified major trafficking hubs across Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.
Earlier this month, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system at Islamabad airport from January, aimed at detecting forged documents and preventing illegal travel abroad, as part of broader efforts to curb human smuggling and unauthorized migration.
