” Pakistan welcomes ‘Declaration of Unity’ by Palestinian factions, lauds China’s role ” | Express News Pro

ISLAMABAD (APP) – Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the ‘Declaration of Unity’ signed by the Palestinian political factions in Beijing while recognizing and commending China’s role in bringing the factions together for meaningful negotiations.

“Unity among the Palestinian people is of paramount significance in view of the ongoing war crimes against the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, and the blatant disregard for international law by the Israeli occupation forces,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing on Thursday.

Calling upon the international community to intervene immediately to bring an end to the ongoing illegal and incessant aggression in Gaza, she reiterated Pakistan’s support for the realization of the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, their right of return to Palestine and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Regarding the periodic report of the Human Rights Committee in Geneva on India, she said that during the proceedings, important questions were raised about arrests under draconian laws like Public Safety Act and Public Security Act, and frequent suspension of mobile internet service in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“This demonstrates continuing concerns of the international human rights machinery about the dismal human rights situation in IIOJK. We call on the international community to take note of these human rights abuses by India in IIOJK and to bring an end to the suppression of the Kashmiri people,” she said and reiterated Pakistan’s continued political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri people.

The spokesperson announced that at the invitation of the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will visit Tehran on July 30, 2024, to attend the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect of Iran Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. The visit attests to the commitment by the two countries to strengthen leadership level engagement and bilateral cooperation, she added.

To a question, she said Pakistan had taken up the matter of an attack on its consulate in Frankfurt with the German government and continued to take measures and work with the host government to ensure the safety of its diplomatic missions.

Asked about the reports of US Administration seeking a budget of US$101 million for Pakistan, she called it an internal debate of the US Congress and US Administration. However, she said traditionally, such aid is meant for the civil society area and promoting strategic priority areas of the US.