ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Wednesday demanded Israel immediately cease its bombardment of the besieged Gaza strip, state-run Radio Pakistan said, as casualties mounted amid an escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
Israeli jets pounded several targets throughout the Palestinian enclave on Tuesday night and Wednesday after Hamas’ surprise attack against the Jewish state over the weekend.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, over 1,000 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured since Saturday. Israel says at least 1,200 were killed in the Hamas raid.
Israel has put Gaza under “total siege” to stop food and fuel reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor and dependent on aid. Hamas media said on Wednesday electricity went out after the only power station stopped working.
“The Caretaker Federal Cabinet has demanded immediate cessation of bombardment in Gaza and ending of illegal siege of the territory, allowing international assistance to reach victims,” Radio Pakistan said in a report.
The announcement followed a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in which the Middle East crisis was discussed and the cabinet strongly condemned Israel’s bombardment and expressed “serious concerns” about the shortage of food and water in Gaza.
“The Information Minister [Murtaza Solangi] said the cabinet unanimously emphasized that recent tension is a result of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories for the last two decades,” the report said.
The cabinet reiterated its position that a separate homeland for the Palestinians, based on pre-1967 borders as per UN resolutions, was the only solution to the crisis.
Separately, hundreds of protesters marched across Pakistan’s capital city, Islamabad, on Wednesday to denounce Israeli actions against Palestinians.
Pakistani cabinet demands ‘immediate cessation’ of Israeli bombing of Gaza
https://arab.news/6yjzt
Pakistani cabinet demands ‘immediate cessation’ of Israeli bombing of Gaza
- Israeli jets pounded Gaza on Tuesday night and Wednesday, killing over 1,000 according to Palestinian health ministry
- Pakistan does not recognize Israel, demands separate homeland for Palestinians based on pre-1967 borders
EU, Pakistan sign €60 million loan agreement for clean drinking water in Karachi
- Project will finance rehabilitation, construction of water treatment facilities in Karachi city, says European Investment Bank
- As per a report in 2023, 90 percent of water samples collected from various places in city was deemed unfit for drinking
ISLAMABAD: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Pakistan’s government on Wednesday signed a €60 million loan agreement, the first between the two sides in a decade, to support the delivery of clean drinking water in Karachi, the EU said in a statement.
The Karachi Water Infrastructure Framework, approved in August this year by the EIB, will finance the rehabilitation and construction of water treatment facilities in Pakistan’s most populous city of Karachi to increase safe water supply and improve water security.
The agreement was signed between the two sides at the sidelines of the 15th Pak-EU Joint Commission in Brussels, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
“Today, the @EIB signed its first loan agreement with Pakistan in a decade: a €60 million loan supporting the delivery of clean drinking water for #Karachi,” the EU said on social media platform X.
Radio Pakistan said the agreement reflects Pakistan’s commitment to modernize essential urban services and promote climate-resilient infrastructure.
“The declaration demonstrates the continued momentum in Pakistan-EU cooperation and highlights shared priorities in sustainable development, public service delivery, and climate and environmental resilience,” it said.
Karachi has a chronic clean drinking water problem. As per a Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted in 2023, 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in the city was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
The problem has forced most residents of the city to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as groundwater in the coastal city tends to be salty and unfit for human consumption.
Other options for residents include either buying unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buying it from reverse osmosis plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
The EU provides Pakistan about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. This includes efforts to achieve green inclusive growth, increase education and employment skills, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
