ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Sunday that Israel’s “purposeful” targeting of Palestinians in Gaza violated all standards of human rights and was a breach of the international law, as the Israeli military continues to push ahead with its air and ground offensive in Gaza. 

The statement by the Pakistan PM came on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, which marked the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The historic declaration enshrines the inalienable rights to which all individuals are entitled, regardless of their race, color, religion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. 

It came a day after Israel’s military pushed ahead with its offensive in Gaza, bolstered by a US veto derailing United Nations Security Council efforts to end the war and word that an emergency sale of $106 million worth of tank ammunition had been approved by Washington. 

A pressing human rights situation has emerged in Palestine, where Israel is egregiously violating human rights in Gaza, resulting in thousands of causalities of innocent men, women and children, according to the statement issued from PM Kakar’s office. 

“Israel’s purposeful, indiscriminate, and disproportionate targeting of people violates all standards of human rights and constitutes a clear breach of international law,” the statement read. 

“We urge the international community to redouble efforts for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and urge Israel to end its brutal occupation of Palestine and grant the Palestinian people their inalienable right to decide their own future.” 

Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. 

PM Kakar noted that his country had consistently demonstrated its commitment to human rights, which was evident through various initiatives and policies aimed at protecting the dignity and rights of its citizens. 

“I reiterate Pakistan’s unflinching resolve to further advance respect for and protection of the rights and freedoms of all our citizens as enshrined in our Constitution as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” he was quoted as saying. 

“Let us work together to build a world where the inherent dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family are recognized and upheld.”