ISLAMABAD: Pakistan condemns Israeli bombardment of tents for displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed dozens of people, the Pakistani Foreign Office said on Monday.
Palestinian health workers said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 45 people on Sunday and “numerous” others were trapped in flaming debris. Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded.
The attacks came two days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population had sought shelter before Israel’s incursion earlier this month.
“Targeting of individuals who were displaced earlier because of Israeli bombardment and were sheltered in a refugee camp, is yet another breach of international humanitarian law by the Israeli occupation forces,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said in a statement.
“The attack is also a blatant defiance of the additional provisional measures of 24 May 2024 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah in conformity with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and the worsening humanitarian conditions faced by civilians.”
The case against Israel was initiated by South Africa in December 2023, where it labeled Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocidal,” asserting that they intended to destroy the Palestinian people in ways specified under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The war on Gaza broke out after Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,100 people, in response to the deteriorating condition of Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation.
Israel launched a retaliatory offensive, widely viewed as disproportionate, in which more than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have lost their lives, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
“Pakistan reiterates its demand for immediate and unconditional implementation of the orders of the ICJ of 24 May 2024. Measures must be taken to fully protect civilians in Gaza and the Israeli occupation forces must be held accountable for the Gaza genocide,” the Pakistan Foreign Office said further.
“We call on the UN Security Council to play its role in preventing Israel from any further attacks against the civilians in Rafah and taking effective measures to protect the people of Gaza.”
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza, launched last October, at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.
Pakistan condemns Israeli attack on Rafah refugee camp, calls it ‘blatant defiance’ of ICJ ruling
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Pakistan condemns Israeli attack on Rafah refugee camp, calls it ‘blatant defiance’ of ICJ ruling
- Israeli airstrikes killed at least 45 people on Sunday and ‘numerous’ others were trapped under debris
- Gaza’s Health Ministry said women and children made up most of the dead and dozens of wounded
PM Sharif highlights Pakistan’s strategic location at SCO summit, calls it ‘ideal conduit’ for connectivity
- Shehbaz Sharif emphasizes use of national currencies for mutual settlement within SCO region to avoid financial shocks
- He urges the top SCO leaders to denounce Israel’s ‘barbaric’ war in Gaza, call for ‘immediate and unconditional ceasefire’
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the importance of Pakistan’s geographical location in the region on Thursday, saying it could play a pivotal role to enhance economic connectivity in the neighborhood while addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Council of Heads of State in Kazakhstan.
Sharif arrived in Astana, the capital of the Central Asian state, to attend the SCO summit along with leaders and diplomats from China, India, Türkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries to review economic and security cooperation.
His visit to the region comes at a time when his administration is trying to addressed a prolonged macroeconomic crisis faced by the country by seeking enhanced trade in the region.
Sharif has held several meetings with the top leaders of different gathered at the occasion, prompting Pakistan as a trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian Republics to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea.
“Excellencies, SCO leaders have repeatedly underscored the importance of investing in the connectivity of the SCO region through efficient transport corridors and reliable supply chains,” he said while addressing the gathering. “It is time to put these words into action. Pakistan’s location makes it an ideal trade conduit for the entire region. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of Belt and Road initiative, supplements SCO vision of regional connectivity and economic interaction.”
“Promoting the use of national currencies for mutual settlement within SCO region can help avoid international financial shocks,” he continued. “Pakistan also supports the proposal to create an SCO alternative development funding mechanism to give the needed impetus to various stalled development initiatives.”
Reflecting on the global political situation, the prime minister urged the top SCO leaders to denounce Israel’s war on Gaza.
He noted the SCO stood for the observance of the UN principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and people’s fundamental right to self-determination.
Sharif maintained the United Nations Security Council resolutions offered workable framework to resolve longstanding disputes, adding that failure to implement them had brought unimaginable sufferings of people around the world.
“One of the worst examples is Palestine where over 37,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over two million have been displaced by Israel’s indiscriminate and unabated bombing,” he said.
“SCO must outrightly denounce this barbaric act and call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, leading to the implementation of two-state solution which includes the establishment of Palestine as a viable, secure and contiguous state on the basis of pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital,” he added.
According to a statement issued by his office earlier in the day, the prime minister will participate in the SCO Plus Summit and deliver a national statement.
The “SCO Plus” meeting refers to a format that includes not only the SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests.
The expanded format aims to broaden the dialogue and cooperation beyond the core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions on security, economic and cultural issues.
The prime minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival in Astana to discuss enhanced bilateral trade and diplomatic relations and assure him that the bilateral relations between the two states would not be impacted by geopolitical contingencies or relations with other countries.
The PM Office also said Sharif will meet the Kazakhstan president during the day.
Pakistan PM to attend SCO summits in Astana, meet Kazakhstan president today
- Shehbaz Sharif will present Pakistan’s perspective on global and regional issues at the Council of Heads of State
- He will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit that will include observer nations and other invited guests
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit today, Thursday, in Kazakhstan and will hold a meeting with the President of the Central Asian state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to a statement released by his office in Islamabad.
Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, to attend the SCO meetings along with leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries to review economic and security cooperation.
His visit comes at a time when Pakistan seeks to promote itself as a trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian Republics to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea.
Troubled by a macroeconomic crisis, Islamabad has increasingly sought to enhance trade with regional countries in recent years.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Council of Heads of State meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” the PM Office announced while sharing details of Sharif’s engagements on Thursday. “At the meeting, the Prime Minister will present Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and global issues.”
“The Prime Minister will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit and will deliver a national statement,” it added.
The “SCO Plus” meeting refers to a format that includes not only the SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests.
The expanded format aims to broaden the dialogue and cooperation beyond the core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions on security, economic and cultural issues.
The prime minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival in Astana to discuss enhanced bilateral trade and diplomatic relations and assure him that the bilateral relations between the two states would not be impacted by geopolitical contingencies or relations with other countries.
The PM Office also said Sharif will meet the Kazakhstan president during the day.
Army says ‘high-profile terrorist’ killed during operation in northwest Pakistan
- Commander Irfan Ullah Adnan was involved in attacks on security forces, civilians, says army’s media wing
- Development takes place hours after bomb blast in northwestern district killed five including former senator
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces this week killed a “high-profile terrorist” in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province who was involved in attacks on security forces and civilians, the army’s media wing said.
Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the country’s restive Bajaur tribal district on Wednesday after receiving reports of the militant’s presence in the area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
The army said Commander Irfan Ullah Adnan was killed after a heavy exchange of fire between security forces and militants in Bajaur.
“He was actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion & target killings of innocent civilians, and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies,” the ISPR said.
BLAST KILLS EX-SENATOR
The ISPR’s press release was issued hours after a blast in Bajaur killed five people, among them a former senator who was taking part in a campaign for an upcoming by-election in the district.
Hidayat Ullah Khan and four others were killed when his vehicle was targeted in a blast in Bajaur. Khan, who was an independent senator from 2018 to 2024, was the son of former National Assembly lawmaker Hajji Bismillah Khan and the younger brother of ex-KP governor Shaukat Ullah Khan.
Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan have seen a surge in militant attacks since Nov. 2022 when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down.
Pakistan blames the TTP for the surge in violence, accusing it of targeting Pakistani security forces, politicians and civilians from Afghanistan in a bid to enforce its strict version of Islamic law in the country.
The TTP, however, did not take responsibility for the blast. In a statement released to the media, the banned outfit accused the Pakistan Army of killing the former senator to malign it.
“We would like to reiterate once again that we consider only the security forces and their personnel our targets,” the TTP said.
Pakistan PM stresses promoting trilateral economic cooperation with Azerbaijan, Turkiye
- PM Sharif holds trilateral summit with presidents of Turkiye, Azerbaijan at sidelines of SCO moot
- Calls for greater cooperation in energy, tourism, culture, education and technology sectors
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed the need to promote trilateral economic cooperation between Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, during a meeting of the leaders of the three countries on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana.
Sharif is in Kazakhstan’s capital to attend the SCO summit where leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries are present to review economic and security cooperation.
His visit takes place as Pakistan seeks to promote itself as a trade and transit hub that connects the landlocked Central Asian states to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea. Troubled by a macroeconomic crisis, Islamabad has increasingly sought to attract investment and trade with regional allies in recent months.
The Pakistani prime minister attended the inaugural session of the Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Heydar Aliyev in Astana.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday proposed to establish tripartite institutional mechanisms, particularly in economic and investment areas to further strengthen Pakistan-Turkiye-Azerbaijan trilateral economic and commercial cooperation,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Sharif said Pakistan “deeply valued” its fraternal ties with Azerbaijan and Turkiye, saying that they were deep-rooted in cultural, historical and religious bonds.
He affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working together with Turkiye and Azerbaijan to elevate the tripartite cooperation into a “strong multifaceted partnership” across the sectors of economy, energy, tourism, culture, education and technology, APP said.
SHEHBAZ MEETS PUTIN
Before taking part in the trilateral summit, Sharif met Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss enhancing bilateral trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“Your excellency, our relations stand on our own strength,” Sharif told Putin in a one-on-one meeting.
“Neither our relations are driven by any geopolitical contingency nor these are impacted by our relations with other countries.”
Sharif recalled that Pakistan and Russia used to engage in barter trade in the 1950s and 1960s, saying that more can be done to enhance bilateral trade between the two nations which currently stands at about $1 billion.
“I think today is the time we can overcome financial and other banking issues by renewing our trade and expanding our trade under barter that will be very beneficial for Pakistan and overcome many problems,” he said.
Authorities evacuate residents from dangerously tilted Karachi building
- Residents evacuated from two-year-old building, nearby structures in Baldia Town evacuated, confirms official
- Building collapses due to shoddy construction, lack of safety regulations are common in Pakistan’s Karachi city
KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday evacuated a two-year-old building after it tilted dangerously to one side, a spokesperson of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) confirmed, putting the spotlight on the lack of implementation of construction safety regulations in the city.
A four-story building in the city’s Baldia Town neighborhood was evacuated by authorities after it started dangerously tilting to one side due to structural damage.
The SCBA has declared 722 buildings in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city where over 20 million people live, as dangerous and unfit for living. The SBCA is the official authority in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province responsible for approving and regulating the construction of buildings.
Numerous building collapses in the city in recent years have led to accusations that the SBCA is negligent in ensuring builders adhere to construction safety standards.
“This four-story building tiled to a side after one of its pillars were damaged,” an SBCA spokesperson told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
“We immediately evacuated the nearby buildings as the collapse is likely to damage them,” he said, adding that action would be taken against those involved in the faulty construction.
The spokesperson said the authority is vigilantly working to identify dangerous buildings in the city. Building collapses in Karachi have, however, led to significant casualties and injuries in recent years.
Last month a three-story building collapsed in Karachi’s Liaquatabad neighborhood of the city. However, no casualties were reported in the incident as residents had already been evacuated from the building.
On April 22, 2024, a three-story building in the North Nazimabad area collapsed, killing one man and injuring four others. On March 31, 2024, an old building in the city’s Ranchore Line area collapsed, injuring four men and one woman.
On October 11, 2023, a building collapsed in Shah Faisal Colony, resulting in five deaths and two injuries. A two-story building in the Machar Colony area collapsed on December 18, 2023, killing three and injuring 17.
On June 10, 2020, a five-story residential building collapsed in Lyari, killing at least 25.
