Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000

Diplomats and Pakistan’s disaster management authority officials dispatch relief goods to Gaza via cargo ship from Karachi on February 25, 2024. (NDMA)
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Updated 26 February 2024
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Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000

  • Israel’s relentless bombing and ground assaults continue despite ceasefire calls from rights groups and governments
  • Pakistan’s latest assistance, sent via cargo ship, contains 300 tons of blankets, tents, medicines and tinned food items

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday dispatched a seventh consignment of relief goods for Palestinians in Gaza, the country’s disaster management authority said, amid continuing air and ground assaults by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Thousands more have been injured as Israel continues to ignore calls for a ceasefire from rights groups and governments around the world, amid warnings from the United Nations (UN) of an outbreak of disease and starvation.

To mitigate the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched another consignment of relief goods through a cargo ship, which would be delivered via Port Said in Egypt.

“The government of Pakistan has dispatched the seventh batch of relief goods to the people of Gaza by a cargo ship,” the NDMA said in a statement. “The relief package consists of 300 tons of essentials, including blankets, basic food, and other essential items.”

Officials of the Pakistani foreign ministry, NDMA, and the Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan, Ahmad Jawad Rabei, attended the sending-off ceremony at the South Asia Pakistan Terminal in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi.

The South Asian country has previously sent six flights, carrying 330 tons of relief goods, including blankets, tents and food items, for Palestinians in Gaza.

“Pakistan will continue to support and help its brothers and sisters in times of trouble,” the NDMA said.


Pakistan cricket chief says boycott of India match aimed at restoring Bangladesh’s dignity

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Pakistan cricket chief says boycott of India match aimed at restoring Bangladesh’s dignity

  • Mohsin Naqvi says Pakistan sought to highlight Bangladesh’s grievances in World Cup dispute
  • His comments come a day after Pakistan reversed decision to boycott the Feb. 15 India clash

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s decision to briefly threaten a boycott of its Twenty20 World Cup match against India was intended to highlight what it saw as unfair treatment of Bangladesh and to press for the concerns raised by Bangladeshi officials to be addressed, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Tuesday.

Pakistan withdrew its decision a day earlier to skip the Group A clash scheduled for Feb. 15 in Colombo, ending a week-long standoff with the International Cricket Council (ICC) that had drawn intervention from several member boards amid fears of disruption to the tournament.

“Our objective was only to ensure that Bangladesh was treated with dignity and that the injustice done to them was highlighted,” Naqvi told journalists in Peshawar. “You saw that whatever points Bangladesh raised were accepted. That’s it. We had no personal agenda of our own in this.”

Bangladesh had raised security concerns about playing its World Cup matches in India amid political tensions between the two countries and sought the relocation of its fixtures to Sri Lanka, a request that was turned down by the ICC. Subsequently, Bangladesh chose to withdraw from the tournament and were replaced by Scotland instead.

Pakistan cited Bangladesh’s removal from the original schedule as unjust when it initially instructed its team not to face India, a move that would have resulted in a forfeiture.

The decision led to a crisis situation since the India-Pakistan match is the biggest and most lucrative clash in the world of cricket, leading to a frantic weekend of negotiations.

The reversal allows Pakistan to proceed with the marquee India match after Bangladesh’s concerns were accommodated by the ICC, Naqvi said.

Pakistan, who edged past the Netherlands in their opening game, face the United States today in Group A, with India set to travel to Colombo for the Feb. 15 clash.

Pakistan and India, bitter political rivals, have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade and meet only at global tournaments at neutral venues.