KARACHI: A top Pakistani journalist body on Friday condemned a recent visit by a group of local journalists and researchers to Israel, calling it an “effort to whitewash Israeli war crimes against Palestinians.”
A 10-member Pakistani delegation of journalists, intellectuals and influencers this month visited Israel for a week to learn about the Holocaust and the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, according to Israeli media.
Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders.
In a statement on Friday, the Karachi Press Club's (KPC) joint action committee, which represents multiple journalist unions, said the Pakistani journalists who undertook the visit do not represent the “broader media community of Pakistan.”
“We stand firm in our unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and denounce any attempt to normalize relations with a regime engaged in systematic ethnic cleansing,” the committee said in a joint statement, citing KPC President Fazil Jamili.
“The journalists in Pakistan have always been at the forefront of highlighting the suffering of oppressed people, and we will not tolerate any actions that undermine this solidarity.”
Israel Hayom, a Hebrew-language Israeli newspaper, reported the Pakistani journalists and researchers, including two women, arrived in Israel this month and carried passports declaring their invalidity for travel to Israel.
“Despite this, they bravely accepted an invitation from Sharaka, an organization working to strengthen relations between Israel and South Asian countries,” the report said. “To protect the delegation members, their passports were not stamped, and publication of their visit was delayed until they returned safely home.”
In response to media reports about the visit, the Foreign Office in Islamabad said Pakistan’s position on Israel “remains unchanged.”
“Pakistani passports explicitly state they are ‘not valid for travel to Israel’,” it said.
“Pakistan does not recognize Israel and steadfastly supports the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.”
The KPC committee lamented that the visit, which occurred at a time when over 150 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces for exposing the truth, amounted to “complicity in Israel’s war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people.”
It called for an immediate investigation into how these individuals were able to visit Israel.
Top journalist body condemns ‘illegal visit’ of Pakistani journalists to Israel
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Top journalist body condemns ‘illegal visit’ of Pakistani journalists to Israel
- Israeli media reported a 10-member Pakistani delegation this month visited Israel for a week
- Karachi Press Club calls the visit an ‘effort to whitewash Israeli crimes,’ demands investigation
Pakistan sends 7.5 tons of additional relief supplies to Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah devastation
- Pakistan dispatches tents, tarpaulins, powdered milk aboard commercial flight from Lahore
- Pakistan Army, Navy and rescue teams are already operating in Sri Lankan disaster-hit zones
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday dispatched an additional 7.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka following widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.
More than two million people, nearly 10 percent of the population, have been affected by last week’s climate crisis-spurred floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century. Over 618 people have been killed.
Sri Lanka has issued a formal international appeal for emergency assistance, with Islamabad stepping up support on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Monday’s relief consignment, including tents, tarpaulins and powdered milk, was flown to Colombo from Lahore on a commercial aircraft.
“NDMA has coordinated with airlines to ensure that all available cargo space on commercial flights is fully utilized for the rapid transport of relief items,” the disaster agency said. “This mechanism will continue in the coming days to dispatch further assistance as required.”
Pakistan has been supporting relief operations since the onset of the disaster. A Pakistan Army search-and-rescue team is currently operating in affected regions, backed by Pakistan Navy ships and helicopters assisting local authorities with evacuations and life-saving missions.
NDMA said Pakistan “stands firmly with the people of Sri Lanka in this difficult hour and will continue to extend all possible assistance to support ongoing rescue and relief efforts.”
The International Monetary Fund said on Friday Sri Lanka had requested financial assistance of about $200 million to address the destruction caused by the cyclone.
