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Pakistan to send COVID-19, medical emergency aid to Palestine after Israeli attacks

A member of the Palestinian Abu Dayer family receives treatment at the Al-Shifa hospital after the death of family members in an Israeli air strike on the family's home in Gaza City on May 17, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 19 May 2021
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Pakistan to send COVID-19, medical emergency aid to Palestine after Israeli attacks

  • Pakistan says contacting various nations to gather support against Israeli attacks on Palestine
  • Foreign minister Qureshi en route to New York to address emergency UNGA session on crisis in Palestine
Updated 19 May 2021
Muhammad Ishtiaq

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said Pakistan would send aid to Palestine to help the country deal with the coronavirus pandemic and the “medical emergency situation” created by ongoing Israeli air strikes.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday Islamabad was reaching out to different countries including Palestine, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia and others, to gather support to stop worsening Israeli attacks against Palestine.
Qureshi arrived in Turkey on Tuesday from where he will fly to New York to attend and address an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Palestine, Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN said. 
“Palestine is facing a medical emergency situation and Pakistan will send aid,” Hussain told reporters on Tuesday. 
Meanwhile, Radio Pakistan reported that Qureshi, who is in Turkey, had said “contacts are being established with different countries to get stopped the Israeli persecution of Palestinians.”
In a meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, Qureshi exchanged views on the “worsening situation” in the Palestinian territories. 
“The two Foreign Ministers discussed ways to mobilize the international community to help stop Israeli aggression against the Palestinians,” Pakistan’s foreign office said, adding that the international community had a “collective responsibility” to ensure necessary steps were taken to restore peace and facilitate a just solution. 
The statement added that the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey, Palestine and other countries, would be traveling to New York to participate in-person in a meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Palestine issue. 
Michael Kugelman, South Asia senior associate at the Wilson Center, wrote on Twitter about Pakistan’s efforts to galvanzie world opinion against Israel: 
“Who’s been a real busy diplomat since the Gaza crisis broke out? Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Pakistan’s FM has spoken w/his Palestinian, Egyptian, Saudi, Afghan, Chinese, and US counterparts. He also made a strong statement to OIC. Now enroute to Turkey and on to US for UN meetings.” 

On Monday, the United States for a third time prevented the United Nations Security Council from issuing a public statement on the Israeli assault as the White House said it was pursuing “quiet, intensive diplomacy.” 
For the past week Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated on the 15-member council over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the worst violence between Israel and the Palestinians in years because it worries it could harm behind-the-scenes diplomacy.
Gaza medical officials say 217 Palestinians have been killed, including 63 children, and more than 1,400 wounded since the fighting began on May 10. Israeli authorities say 12 people have been killed in Israel, including two children.
“On the special instructions of PM Imran Khan, the FM Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi will speak at @UN General Assembly #UNGA debate on “The situation in the Middle East” & the “Question of Palestine” on 20 May 2021,” Pakistan’s permanent mission to the UN said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

“The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will hold meetings with various dignitaries in NewYork. He will hold talks with local & int’l media representatives & present Pakistan’s views on the situation in #Palestine.” 

“Pakistan joins hands with Palestine, Sudan and Turkey to address an emergency session on #Palestine called by the United Nations General Assembly. Pakistan stands firmly with the people of Palestine.” 

Pakistan’s lower house of parliament on Monday passed a unanimous resolution against what FM Qureshi called the ‘unconscionable brutality’ of Israel against Palestinians. 
“Today in Parliament proud to present a resolution, unanimously adopted, in support of #Palestine, condemning Israeli’s unconscionable brutality & reaffirming Pakistan support for a two-state solution,” the foreign minister said in a tweet. 

The country’s National Assembly suspended its routine agenda to discuss ongoing Israeli airstrikes in which over 200 Palestinians have died so far. 
The lower house passed a resolution calling upon the United Nations Security Council to ensure Israel immediately stop ongoing crimes against Palestinians and “establish an independent inquiry tribunal to investigate the crime of genocide by the apartheid Israeli regime.” 
The parliament also urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take “immediate decisive steps” for the protection and safety of the Palestinian people and break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza in order to provide humanitarian assistance.

Topics: Palestine East Jerusalem violence Israel Pakistan aid to Palestine

PM hosts Pakistani delegates for successfully presenting Islamabad’s case on India crisis

Updated 9 sec ago
Kashif Imran 
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PM hosts Pakistani delegates for successfully presenting Islamabad’s case on India crisis

  • Pakistan, India engaged in a military conflict last month that saw the neighbors attack each other with drones, missiles and artillery
  • Pakistani delegates this month visited key capitals to apprise them of India’s unilateral moves, including suspension of key water treaty
Updated 9 sec ago
Kashif Imran 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday hosted a dinner in honor of a Pakistani delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, that presented Islamabad’s stance on recent crisis with India before key world capitals.

Pakistan and India engaged in a four-day military conflict last month that saw the two neighbors attack each other with drones, missiles and artillery in their worst fighting in decades.

The conflict had raised fears of a full-blown war between the nuclear-armed neighbors who agreed to a United States-brokered ceasefire on May 10, with the conflict killing nearly 70 people on both sides.

Bhutto-Zardari led Pakistan’s mission to the US, United Kingdom and Europe to apprise the world powers of Indian unilateral actions, including the suspension of a World Bank-brokered water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.

“The delegation presented the events from Pahalgam to the Indus Waters Treaty [suspension] in the right perspective and in a good manner,” Sharif said. “I hope that with the guidance, cooperation and suggestions of all of you, we will overcome all internal and external challenges.”

Other members of the Pakistani delegation included Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Hina Rabbani Khar, Bushra Anjum Butt, Faisal Sabzwari, Khurram Dastgir and Jalil Abbas Jilani.

On Monday, Bhutto-Zardari said Islamabad had defeated New Delhi on the “battlefield, in diplomacy, and in the war of narratives.”

“India has two options: share water fairly or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers [of the Indus basin],” Bhutto-Zardari said, while addressing the lower house of Pakistan parliament.

“The attack on Sindhu [Indus river] and India’s claim that the IWT has ended and it’s in abeyance, firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India but the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter.”

His comments followed a statement from Indian interior minister Amit Shah in which he said they would take the water that was flowing to Pakistan to the Indian state of Rajasthan by constructing a canal.

“Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah told Times of India newspaper.

The IWT grants Pakistan rights to the Indus basin’s western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow. India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes, according to the agreement.

Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India’s decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.

Last month’s conflict between Pakistan and India was triggered by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town.

India accused Pakistan of backing the assault that killed 26 tourists on April 22 and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, which ensures water for 80 percent of Pakistani farms, among a slew of punitive measures.

Islamabad denied the allegation and offered to join a credible, international probe into the Kashmir attack, followed by its own set of diplomatic measures against New Delhi.

Topics: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari Pakistan India standoff

Pakistan PM discusses Middle East crisis with Saudi Crown Prince, calls for de-escalation

Updated 24 June 2025
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Pakistan PM discusses Middle East crisis with Saudi Crown Prince, calls for de-escalation

  • Heightened tensions after Iranian missile attack on US base in Qatar spark fears of wider Gulf conflict
  • Sharif also holds third call with Iranian president in as many days, urges diplomacy to restore peace
Updated 24 June 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the situation in the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel.

The call followed Israeli and United States strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attack on a US base in Qatar on Tuesday. Qatar condemned the Iranian strikes as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, raising fears the crisis could draw in other regional powers if not defused.

During the call, Sharif said Pakistan supported immediate de-escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict and its peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy.

“While referring to last night’s attacks, he called for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles by all sides,” Sharif’s office said after the telephone discussion with the Saudi Crown Prince. “In this context, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Sharif also praised the Saudi crown prince’s efforts to restore calm, describing them as reflective of the kingdom’s leadership role in the Muslim world and its position as a peacemaker, according to his office.

The crown prince, for his part, appreciated Pakistan’s show of solidarity and acknowledged Islamabad’s constructive role in supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“His Royal Highness said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was fully committed to efforts aimed at fostering lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours. However, Israel warned of possible missile launches from Iran early Tuesday, and the launches began after 4am local time in Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would halt its attacks if Israel ended its airstrikes.

It was unclear how the latest developments would affect the planned ceasefire.

Separately on Tuesday, Sharif held a third phone call in as many days with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and again urged dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace in the region.

The crisis has left Islamabad navigating a delicate balance between ties with Iran, other Gulf partners and the United States, which remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a major source of military and economic assistance.

“The prime minister said that Pakistan was closely following the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East,” Sharif’s office said after the call with Pezeshkian. “He reiterated Pakistan’s support for Iran at all diplomatic forums, including at the UN Security Council and the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], while calling for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles.”

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Arabia ties Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Army major among two soldiers, 11 militants killed in Pakistan’s restive northwest

Updated 24 June 2025
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Army major among two soldiers, 11 militants killed in Pakistan’s restive northwest

  • The casualties occurred during an intelligence-based operation in South Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan
  • Pakistan and India often accuse each other of backing militant groups that launch cross-border attacks on the other’s soil
Updated 24 June 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani soldiers, including an army major, and 11 militants were killed in a shootout in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.

The operation was conducted in KP’s South Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan, on intelligence reports about the presence of “Indian-sponsored” militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.

The intense exchange of fire killed 11 militants and injured seven others. The shootout also left two Pakistani soldiers, Major Moiz Abbas Shah and Lance Naik Jibran Ullah, dead.

“Sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji [militant] found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan and India often blame each other for supporting militancy.

Islamabad accuses India of backing a separatist insurgency in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province as well as religiously motivated militant groups, like the Pakistani Taliban, in KP. India denies the allegations.

Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in KP since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamabad broke down in late 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in the region in recent months.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to Major Shah and Lance Naik Jibran Ullah for thwarting the evil designs of the enemy.

“We will continue the fight against the scourge of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country,” he said. “The entire nation, including me, stands by our Pakistani forces in their unwavering resolve to protect the homeland.”

Topics: militancy in Pakistan KP militancy

In call with Iran president, Pakistan PM urges dialogue to restore peace in Middle East

Updated 24 June 2025
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In call with Iran president, Pakistan PM urges dialogue to restore peace in Middle East

  • The development came a day after Tehran attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for airstrikes on its nuclear facilities
  • The crisis appeared to put Islamabad in a difficult position to balance its equation with Iran, other Gulf partners, and the US
Updated 24 June 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for the third time in as many days and urged dialogue and diplomacy to restore peace in the Middle East, Sharif’s office said.

The development came a day after Tehran attacked a United States (US) base in Qatar in retaliation for US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities late last week. The US strikes followed days of Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership.

Qatar condemned the Iranian missile attack and called it a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, saying it reserved the right to respond directly and in accordance with the international law. The Iranian attack raised fears about a wider conflict in the already volatile region.

The crisis appeared to put Islamabad in a difficult position to balance its equation with Iran, other Gulf partners, and the US, which remains one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a critical source of military and economic assistance.

“The prime minister said that Pakistan was closely following the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East. He emphasized the importance of restoring peace through dialogue and diplomacy,” Sharif’s office said after his telephonic conversation with the Iranian president.

“He reiterated Pakistan’s support for Iran at all diplomatic forums, including at the UN Security Council and the OIC [Organization of Islamic Cooperation], while calling for adherence to international law and the UN Charter principles, by all sides.”

The development came hours after US President Donald Trump said that Israel and Iran had agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire” to be phased in over 24 hours.

But Israel warned its public to take shelter after detecting missile launches from Iran early Tuesday. The launches came after 4am local time in Tehran, the time Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel ended their airstrikes.

It was unclear yet how the latest developments would impact the possible ceasefire agreement.

President Pezeshkian appreciated Pakistan’s consistent and principled support to Iran throughout the crisis, according to Sharif’s office.

“He also acknowledged Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” it said. “The two leaders agreed on the importance of unity among the Ummah during this most challenging time. They agreed to remain in touch.”

Topics: Pakistan Iran Ties Iran Israel conflict

Pakistan boosts intelligence-sharing with Gulf states to curb drug trafficking

Updated 24 June 2025
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Pakistan boosts intelligence-sharing with Gulf states to curb drug trafficking

  • The development comes months after Islamabad hosted the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council Counter-Narcotics Conference
  • Oman has appointed its drug liaison officer in Pakistan, reflecting shared commitment to drug-free Gulf and South Asia
Updated 24 June 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan and Gulf countries have intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking by enhancing intelligence-sharing, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) said on Tuesday, with Oman appointing a drug liaison officer in Islamabad.

The development comes months after Islamabad hosted the Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council (Pak-GCC) Counter-Narcotics Conference, marking the first-ever formal assembly of anti-narcotics leadership from Pakistan and all six GCC member states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait along with special observers from Italy.

For years, drug traffickers have exploited geographical and technological loopholes, using Pakistan as a transit hub and GCC nations as lucrative markets, according to the ANF. Despite ongoing efforts, the scale of smuggling seizures continues to expand, with traffickers now leveraging the dark web, cryptocurrency, and synthetic drug manufacturing to evade law enforcement agencies.

“During the conference, the Director-General of Narcotics of the Sultanate of Oman announced the appointment of drug liaison officer in Pakistan,” the ANF said in a statement.

“Acting on this decision, Mr. Suleiman Al-Hanai has been appointed as Oman’s first Drug Liaison Officer in Pakistan who has assumed his official responsibilities in Islamabad.”

The announcement signals a new phase in relations between the two countries as they align their efforts in the global war on drugs, according to the ANF. The appointment reflects a shared commitment by Pakistan and Oman to safeguard their societies and promote a drug-free environment across the Gulf and South Asian regions.

In recent years, the ANF has successfully intercepted tones of illicit drugs, dismantled trafficking rings through road, border, dry port, airport and sea routes, and strengthened global relationships. With its advanced intelligence capabilities and strategic operations, the ANF has intensified collaboration with GCC security agencies, ensuring that traffickers find no safe passage between these regions.

In June 2024, the ANF also stepped up its international cooperation against drug trafficking through a workshop backed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, uniting national, regional and global agencies to strengthen data-sharing and coordination.

Topics: Anti Narcotics Force Pakistan-Gulf Cooperation Council Drug trafficing

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