ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday welcomed additional provisional measures by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, reaffirming its support for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
The ICJ decision on Friday added to the pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel, coming just days after Norway, Ireland and Spain said they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor of a separate international court sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The case against Israel was initiated by South Africa in December 2023, where it labeled Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocidal,” asserting that they intended to destroy the Palestinian people in ways specified under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign office said Islamabad supported the application filed by South Africa before the ICJ against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention, in follow up to which the ICJ announced additional provisional measures for Rafah.
“Pakistan demands immediate and unconditional implementation of the latest orders of the ICJ... We call on the UN Security Council to play its role in ending Israel’s ongoing brutal military campaign across Gaza; allowing unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance; taking effective measures to protect civilians in Gaza; and holding Israel accountable for its crimes,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinians for a viable, secure, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of the pre-1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Israel besieged the Gaza Strip and launched airstrikes following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, prompted by the deteriorating conditions of the Palestinian people living under the Israeli occupation.
To date, the Palestinian death toll has reached about 36,000, predominantly women and children, as Netanyahu’s administration continues its military campaign that has demolished hundreds of residential neighborhoods along with hospitals and educational institutions.
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.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza, launched last October, at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.
“As required by the latest ruling of ICJ, Israeli occupation authorities should keep the Rafah crossing open for unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance, and ensure unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide,” the foreign office added.
Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians
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Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians
- The ICJ decision added to the pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel, coming just days after Norway, Ireland and Spain announced they will recognize Palestine as a state
- The case against Israel was initiated by South Africa in December 2023, where it labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza Strip as ‘genocidal’ and said they intended to destroy Palestinians
Pakistan explores ferry shipping to boost trade with Yemen, regional markets
- Pakistan commerce minister meets Yemeni envoy to discuss enhancing trade cooperation
- Yemeni ambassador calls for reviving bilateral agreements, strengthening trade mechanisms
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan said on Friday that his ministry is exploring the possibility of introducing ferry-based shipping services with Yemen to cut freight costs and boost bilateral, regional trade.
Pakistan has been attempting to enhance its ferry-based services with Middle Eastern countries in recent months. Islamabad granted its first-ever ferry service license to an international operator, Sea Keepers, for routes connecting Pakistan with Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in August. Last month, Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved a ferry service to Oman from the southwestern port of Gwadar to boost trade and tourism.
Khan met Yemen’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Mohammed Motahar Alashabi, in Islamabad on Friday where both sides discussed enhancing trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
“Jam Kamal highlighted the importance of creating efficient, low-cost logistics channels for small and medium enterprises and informed H.E. Alashabi that the ministry is examining the introduction of ferry-based small shipping services to reduce freight costs and improve turnaround time for regional trade,” the commerce ministry said.
“Both sides expressed confidence that sustained dialogue, improved logistics, and revival of formal cooperation mechanisms will help unlock new opportunities for trade and investment between Pakistan and Yemen.”
Alashabi expressed Yemen’s desire to expand commercial engagement with Pakistan, the commerce ministry said, stressing that Yemen continues to regard Islamabad as a “trusted partner” despite logistical and regional challenges in recent years.
He said nearly 300 Yemeni students are studying in Pakistan, highlighting strong people-to-people ties and confidence in Pakistan’s educational institutions. He stressed the need to revive bilateral agreements and strengthen mechanisms to boost trade between the nations.
Kamal said Pakistan placed a lot of emphasis on expanding trade with regional and nearby markets, adding that Pakistan’s growing entrepreneurial and SME sectors could benefit from improved access to close-proximity markets such as Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Oman.
