Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday said Pakistan has condemned the siege of Gaza as Palestinians are facing unabated Israel aggression and have been without water, food, and power, leading to a severe human crisis, state-run wire service APP reported.
“Israel is committing a genocide against the people of Palestine and grave situation arising out is the result of seven decades of illegal occupation of the Palestine territories,” Jilani said while addressing a press conference.
The caretaker foreign minister said Israel should respect and implement the international laws; the United Nations Security Council and the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions over the Palestinians’ rights to self-determination for an independent state.
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He said an emergency and extraordinary meeting of the executive committee of the OIC would be held in Jeddah on October 18 to discuss the ongoing situation in Palestine.
“Israel is conducting aerial aggression over Gaza, which has resulted in deaths of scores of women and children,” he said, adding that any attempt to equate Israel, an aggressor, with the Palestinians’ struggle for self-determination was unacceptable.
The caretaker minister Jilani further stressed on a separate status of Palestine under the two-state policy as accepted by the international community with an independent state of Palestine having pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
He also categorically maintained that there was no change of Pakistan’s policy with regard to Israel.
“ Pakistan will continue pursuing the same policy as adopted in the past and will continue in the future till Palestinians get their rights to self-determination under the UNSC and OIC resolutions,“ Jilani said.
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To a question regarding the humanitarian aid to sieged Palestinians, he said Pakistan is in touch with the international community and the Muslim countries. “Unfortunately, there is a complete siege of Gaza.”
Jilani said Pakistan would highlight the matter during the upcoming OIC executive committee meeting.
“Pakistan will consider the coordinated response of the OIC member countries as to how to bring an end to the violence perpetrated by Israel and how to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.
“Pakistan is ready to provide humanitarian assistance and has been in touch with the Egyptian authorities,” he added.
The interim minister said the OIC committee meeting would make a forceful case for the early resolution of the issue.
PM Kakar’s visit to China
About caretaker prime minister’s upcoming visit to China on October 17-18 to attend the Third Belt and Road Forum for international cooperation, Jilani said the prime minister would hold meetings with the Chinese leaders, global leaders, and top Chinese top business leaders.
PM Kakar would also discuss joint ventures with the Chinese companies and a number of memorandum of understandings regarding agriculture, health, industrial, green energy, and space technology cooperation would be signed during the upcoming visit.
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The caretaker foreign minister further said the PM Kakar’s visit would enhance the ongoing strong bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China as “iron brothers” and would help strengthen the bilateral ties.
“The visit will also provide an opportunity to review the entire gamut of the Pak-China strategic cooperation. The visit also marks the ten years of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Belt and Road Initiative,” he added.
The foreign minister further informed that the caretaker PM would also visit the Xingjian region bordering Pakistan and eight other countries of the region.
He termed the CPEC as an economic success story for both sides and a model of “excellent economic cooperation” despite external dimensions to certain security challenges.
“Both countries coordinated to blunt the terrorist activities and the both sides have expressed satisfaction over the ongoing bilateral cooperation,” Jilani stated. “The first phase of the CPEC is completed and we are entering into the second phase, which is related to industrial, technological, and agricultural cooperation.”
The foreign minister, to a query, advised not to heed to any propaganda about the CPEC, adding that the railways project was the part of ongoing negotiation between the two countries and had been in the advanced stage. He expressed hope that an agreement in that regard would be concluded soon.
Expulsion of illegal foreigners
About the expulsion of illegal foreigners, he said the policy did not pertain to Afghans only, but it was for all the illegal foreigners living in Pakistan without legal documents.
“Pakistan always supports Afghanistan in difficult times and there is an ongoing cooperation between the two countries in the economic and trade fields,” Jilani maintained.
He termed his recent meeting with the Afghan interim foreign minister in Azerbaijan as “very constructive”.
To a question about the recovery of fake national passports from Afghans, he said the ministry of interior was investigating the issue.
About his recent participation in the ECO meeting in Azerbaijan, the foreign minister said the member countries reaffirmed their support to shared prosperity and connectivity.
He said Pakistan and Iran have road and railway corridor network and the land corridor between Iran and Azerbaijan would be another connectivity network that would connect Pakistan with the Central Asian Republics and Russia.
“Short-sightedness of Indian government”
During the press conference, the foreign minister also criticised the Indian government for not allowing Pakistani spectators and journalists to visit and watch the ICC World Cup matches.
“It shows short-sightedness, which is highly condemnable,” Jilani said. “India has set a very wrong precedent and violated the international norms and the ICC charter.”
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