Demands independent Palestine state n FO says Pakistan is also a victim of terrorism n Domestic legislation, judicial verdicts can’t over-ride UNSC resolutions n COAS visit to US to promote cooperation n No talks with TTP n Kartarpur corridor remains open.

 

ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan yesterday demanded that Israel must be held account­able for the continued brutalities in Palestine.

Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan remained deeply concerned over the on­going campaign of brutality and large-scale massacre unleashed upon the Palestinian people.

“We strongly condemn Israel’s ongoing war on hospitals and its barbarous bulldozing of tents in the courtyard and vicinity of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza that crushed to death numerous Palestinians including women, children and wounded patients under treatment. The crimes against humanity in occupied Palestine are a haunting stain on the conscience of humanity. Pak­istan calls for holding Israel ac­countable for its actions and the UNSC to take immediate effective action to impose a ceasefire and lift the inhumane siege against Gaza. The question of recogniz­ing Israel is not even a consider­ation,” she said.

Baloch said Pakistan was also deeply concerned over the re­cent statements made by senior Israeli officials rejecting creation of a viable and independent Pal­estinian state. “Such statements, especially the comments on the ‘Oslo Accords,’ reflect the true intentions of the Israeli occupa­tion authorities, their disregard for International law and com­mitments and rejection of a just resolution of the Palestinian question,” she said. She said, “Pakistan firmly believes that the only just solution to the Pal­estinian question is the creation of an independent, viable, sov­ereign and contiguous Palestin­ian State along pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds-Al-Sharif as its capital.”

She added: “We will contin­ue to support international ef­forts to bring an end to Isra­el’s ongoing campaign against the Palestinian people. Paki­stan will, therefore, participate in the “Consultative Conference on Palestine” scheduled to take place in Tehran, on 23rd of De­cember, 2023. We will share more details in due course.”

To a question, the spokesper­son said Pakistan was a victim of terrorism. “We have said on several occasions that Pakistan is concerned that Indian net­work of terrorism, abductions and assassinations has expand­ed globally, beyond South Asia, where it was already quite en­trenched. Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism from indi­viduals and entities supported by Indian intelligence agencies. And we also have concrete evi­dence that Indian officials, in­cluding Commander Kulbhu­shan Yadav, have been involved in espionage and similarly sub­versive activities inside Paki­stan,” she elaborated.

She said last week, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani had addressed letters to the leader­ship of the United Nations, Or­ganization of Islamic Coopera­tion and the European Union, inviting their attention to the il­legality of the recent judgment by the Supreme Court of India on the status of Indian Illegal­ly Occupied Jammu and Kash­mir (IIOJK). In these letters, she said, the Foreign Minister has underscored that under inter­national law, domestic legisla­tion and judicial verdicts cannot over-ride UNSC resolutions and change the status of an inter­nationally-recognized disputed territory. Baloch said the For­eign Minister has called on the UN Security Council to ensure full implementation of its reso­lutions on the Jammu and Kash­mir dispute; and to urge India to end its grave and systematic human rights violations in IIOJK and to reverse all its illegal and unilateral actions in IIOJK un­dertaken since 5 August 2019.

“Pakistan will continue to ex­tend political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmi­ri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Se­curity Council Resolutions,” she said. Baloch said this month, Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi issued 166 visas to Indian Hindu pilgrims for visits to Shree Katas Raj Temples in Punjab and for participation in annual Celebrations at Shadani Darbar Hayat Pitafi, Sindh.

She said Pakistan also issued visas to 3000 Sikh pilgrims from India on the occasion of the 554th Birthday Celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak this month to visit Pakistan from 25 Novem­ber to 04 December 2023.

“Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines of 1974, Pakistan wel­comes and facilitates thousands of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India to visit Pakistan to attend various religious festivals and occasions every year. The issu­ance of pilgrimage visas is in line with Pakistan’s commitment to facilitate visits to religious shrines and promote interfaith harmony. This year, 6824 visas were issued to Indian pilgrims visiting Pakistan,” she explained. She said Pakistan was deeply concerned about the possession and use of modern sophisticat­ed arms and weapons by TTP, which is a listed organization, listed terrorist organization.

“The threat that it poses re­quires collaborative action by the international community and collaborative strategies to neutralize this threat. We will continue to work towards this end,” she added.

With regards to the vis­it of Chief of Army Staff Gen­eral Asim Munir to the United States, she said, the visit was in the context of promoting under­standing and cooperation be­tween Pakistan and the United States in the realm of security and defence and there were de­tailed discussions between the two sides.

She said there were no talks taking place between the State of Pakistan and TTP. “Our issue right now that we are focusing on is the action that the Afghan authorities must take against TTP elements and rein them in so that the terror threat against Pakistan from the Afghan soil is eliminated,” she said.

As far as the question relating to the US support is concerned, she said, Pakistan had been in talks, not just with the Unit­ed States, but with many coun­tries around the world, in terms of enhancement of Pakistan’s capacity to fight terrorism and these talks have continued.

“Similarly, Pakistan has been engaged with the neighbours of Afghanistan to help bring peace, stability and prosperity to Af­ghanistan. We have no designs to create difficulties for the peo­ple of Afghanistan.