Pakistan dispatches 21st aid consignment for Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

This handout photo, released by Pakistan’s Press Information Department, shows government officials posing for a picture in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on November 27, 2024, as Pakistan sends its 21st relief consignment for Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. (PID)
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Updated 27 November 2024
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Pakistan dispatches 21st aid consignment for Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

  • Islamabad dispatches 17 tons of blankets, food, medicines to Damascus in Syria from Rawalpindi 
  • Israel’s military campaigns have killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October last year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday dispatched its 21st relief consignment for the war-affected people of Syria, Lebanon and Gaza who have suffered from Israeli military aggression in the Middle East. 

Israel has been attacking what it calls Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, leading Israel to launch a military campaign in which more than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 3,500 people in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group that ended nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in Gaza. International aid agencies and the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned Israel’s military operations in Gaza have caused starvation and diseases for thousands of people in the area.

“On the directives of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) continues to provide humanitarian aid to the war-affected people of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria,” the NDMA said in a statement. 

The 21st consignment was dispatched from Pakistan’s eastern city of Rawalpindi to Syria. The relief items were sent with the help of the Pakistan Air Force, the NDMA said, adding that they comprised 17 tons of supplies which included blankets, food and medicines. 

The NDMA said Pakistan has dispatched a total of 1,273 tons of relief items to the war-affected people of Gaza, 372 tons to the people of Lebanon, and 111 tons to Syria. 
 “The Government of Pakistan continues to send relief supplies based on the needs of the war-affected populations of Lebanon and Palestine,” the authority said. 

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.


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.