ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday said a proposal by United States (US) President Donald Trump to displace the people of Gaza was “deeply troubling” and “unjust.”
Trump last week told reporters that it was time to “clean out” the besieged Gaza Strip, urging the leaders of Jordan and Egypt to take in Palestinians from Gaza, either temporarily or permanently.
The statement came as a fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas took effect, pausing more than 15 months of war.
Trump’s proposal was roundly rejected by Palestinian authorities, Egypt and Jordan, while the Arab League warned against any “attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land.”
“The proposal to displace the people of Gaza is deeply troubling and unjust,” Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Office, told reporters at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.
“The Palestinian land belongs to the Palestinian people, and the only viable and just option is the two-state solution, according to the UN Security Council resolution.”
Screengrab taken from PTV News shows Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, addressing weekly press briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January 30, 2025. (PTV News/Screengrab)
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza and has previously called for a “concrete plan” to rebuild the territory, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
During the press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson also spoke about a second round of Pakistan-Qatar bilateral consultations in Doha on Feb. 5.
“The deputy prime minister [and] foreign minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, will lead Pakistan delegation,” he said. “And besides the dialogue, the deputy prime minister [and] foreign minister will also interact with the Qatari leadership.”
The development comes months after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Qatar in Oct. 2024 to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries. In 2022, the Qatar Investment Authority committed $3 billion for projects in
Pakistan, spanning airport management, renewable energy and hospitality.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said at the time.
About the repatriation of 22 Pakistani survivors of a boat capsize off Morocco, the Foreign Office spokesperson shared that the first batch of Pakistani nationals, who survived the incident, had arrived in the country, without sharing the number of repatriated Pakistanis.
The boat capsized near Morocco’s coast on Jan. 15 while carrying 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
“I can inform you today the first batch has arrived through two flights in Islamabad. The Pakistan Embassy in Rabat is in close coordination with Moroccan authorities to oversee the relief effort and finalize the complex repatriation procedure,” he said.
“The welfare of Pakistani nationals abroad remains an important priority of the government and it will continue to work to extend all possible facilitation in this regard.”
