Pakistan has welcomed the latest report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, calling out Israel for pushing through a systemic agenda of forced displacement and inhalation and genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
Responding to a question at her weekly news briefing here in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the report highlights how Israel has been committing genocide against the Palestinian people through the acts of territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing.
She said Pakistan endorses the stance of the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine that Israel is obstructing international investigation efforts including denying the entry of fact finding teams from the United Nations.
She said we support her call on the international community in acting decisively, bringing an end to Israel unbridled atrocities against the Palestinians and to ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance to Gaza and full financing and protection of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency).
The Spokesperson said Pakistan is also concerned about Israeli actions against the relief workers and agencies including UNRWA and its continuous war on hospitals and vaccination centers.
Responding to volley of questions about Pak-US relations, the Spokesperson said the President and the Prime Minister have congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his election as the 47th President of the United States.
She said Pakistan’s relations with the United States are decades old and we look forward to further strengthen and broaden Pakistan-US relationship in all fields.
The Spokesperson said Pakistan and the United States are old friends and partners and we will continue to promote our relations on the basis of mutual respect, mutual confidence and non-interference in each others’ domestic affairs.
Answering another question about passage of a resolution by the Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) Assembly, calling for the restoration of the special status, the Spokesperson said Pakistan’s position on Indian occupation is well known.
She said we have repeatedly underlined that it is the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who will determine the future of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Spokesperson said Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory and any step that is in contravention to the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law are unacceptable to the people of Kashmir and Pakistan.
She said we believe that any measure taken should be in conformity with international law and the UN Security Council resolutions.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said India must realize that it cannot suppress the genuine aspirations of Kashmiri people through coercive tactics.
It also must respect the right of freedom of the Kashmiri people and their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, she added.