ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Munir Akram, asked Israel to stop its ongoing “genocide” of Palestinian people and stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.
Akram’s comments came at a UN meeting, wherein UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths, fresh from the war-torn region, and Lynn Hastings, deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, were among those who briefed member states about latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Both UN officials called for humanitarian cease-fires to ensure a safe delivery of food, fuel and other essential items to the people in Gaza.
In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy said the Israelis were committing the “modern genocide” against the Palestinians and “we must call it for what it is.”
“We cannot mince our words,” Ambassador Akram said during the briefing, titled ‘Humanitarian Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.’
“We have to tell the Israelis: stop the genocide,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run APP news agency.
Since a shock Hamas attack on October 7, which Israeli officials say has killed 1,400 people, Israel has bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip. The health ministry in Gaza says more than 9,480 Gazans, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign.
In this regard, Akram called for respecting and adhering to the international humanitarian law that forbade attacks on civilians and civilian objects.
“Let us, as the international community, adhere to what the General Assembly has said. Let us adhere to what the international humanitarian law says,” the Pakistani envoy said.
“This is what we expect from all those who are leading the United Nations, all those who are speaking for the conscience of the international community.”
He said the deadly Israeli strikes against schools, hospitals and civilian sites in Gaza on the pretext that there were “military targets” in those facilities were a gross violation of international law and norms as well as a “collective punishment” of a helpless people.
At UN, Pakistan asks Israel to stop ‘genocide’ of Palestinians in Gaza
https://arab.news/r3cub
At UN, Pakistan asks Israel to stop ‘genocide’ of Palestinians in Gaza
- The statement came at a UN briefing on humanitarian situation in Palestinian Territories
- Ambassador Munir Akram calls Israeli strikes a gross violation of international law, norms
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
