ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condemned Israel’s bombing of the historic Grand Mosque in Gaza’s Khan Younis and urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to protect the Palestinians by putting an end to Israeli violations of the international law, the Pakistani foreign office said.
Israel has carried out near-daily raids across Gaza and the West Bank since the October 7 attacks by Hamas, according to the Palestinian authorities. The Israeli military campaign has destroyed 610 mosques and three churches over the past 10 months in Gaza.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson for the Pakistani foreign office, expressed grave concerns and unequivocal condemnation of the recent large-scale military operations by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the bombing of the historic Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, Gaza by the Israeli occupation forces,” she said. “This attack is a grievous assault on a place of deep cultural and religious significance. It also constitutes a clear violation of international law.”
Baloch urged the UNSC to hold Israel accountable for “egregious violations” of international humanitarian law and “war crimes” in Gaza.
“We call on the UN Security Council to take urgent and concrete measures to end these blatant violations of international law and the UN charter, protect the Palestinian people and hold Israel accountable for its egregious violations of international humanitarian law and the genocide and war crimes in Gaza,” she said.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with 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.
Speaking about the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Cameroon today, Baloch said Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi will present the South Asian nation’s perspective on Gaza and Kashmir along with other global issues.
The two-day event will be held in Cameroon’s capital city of Yaoundé. Pakistan actively participates in CFM meetings to address issues affecting the Muslim world, including Palestine, Kashmir and counterterrorism, while promoting regional cooperation, economic development and Islamic solidarity apart from fostering collaboration with other member states to tackle common challenges and opportunities.
Pakistan condemns bombing of Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, calls on UN to protect Palestinians
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Pakistan condemns bombing of Grand Mosque in Khan Younis, calls on UN to protect Palestinians
- Pakistan foreign office terms Israeli attack a ‘grievous assault’ on a religious place
- Over 40,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces since war began last year
Karachi-bound bus crashes in fog, killing five in eastern Pakistan
- Motorway closure forced the bus onto an alternate route, unfamiliar to the driver
- Pakistan weather office reports visibility as low as 30 meters in parts of Punjab
ISLAMABAD: At least five people were killed and around 28 injured early on Wednesday when a passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan in eastern Pakistan, after the driver diverted from a closed motorway due to dense fog, police said.
Poor visibility during Pakistan’s winter months frequently makes long-distance travel hazardous, prompting authorities to shut motorways and major roads during severe fog to prevent accidents. However, traffic mishaps involving both light and heavy vehicles are not uncommon during such conditions, sometimes triggering multi-vehicle pile-ups.
“A passenger bus traveling from Rawalpindi to Karachi plunged into a ravine near Dhok Pathan, killing at least five people and injuring around 28 others,” Adeel Sarfraz, a senior police officer and station house officer in the area near Chakwal, told Arab News over the phone.
“The accident occurred at around 2 a.m.,” he added. “Since the motorway was closed due to dense fog, the driver diverted the bus onto the GT [Grand Trunk] Road. However, the driver was unfamiliar with the route, and poor visibility caused by the fog led to the accident.”
Winter fog is a recurring hazard across Pakistan’s plains, particularly in Punjab and upper Sindh, where conditions can deteriorate sharply during late night and early morning hours.
Data shared by the Pakistan Meteorological Department earlier in the day showed extremely low visibility across several districts, with levels dropping to 30 meters in Narowal and Sheikhupura, 40 meters in Gujranwala and 50 meters in Faisalabad, Sialkot Airport and Toba Tek Singh.
Levels of 100 meters were reported in cities including Okara, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Sargodha, while some southern Punjab districts recorded relatively better conditions at around 200 meters.
The weather office warned that moderate to dense fog is likely to persist over much of Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, advising travelers — especially those driving on highways and motorways — to exercise caution during nighttime and early morning hours.
Road accidents are also common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure, speeding and limited enforcement of safety regulations, with fog-related incidents adding to seasonal risks during winter.
