Pakistan: FO urges world to develop ‘concrete plan’ to rebuild Gaza, demands accountability for Israeli crimes
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
The Foreign Office on Thursday called on the international community to devise a “concrete plan” for the reconstruction of Gaza while demanding accountability for Israeli crimes that cost thousands of Palestinian lives.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza which began on Sunday followed by a hostage and prisoner exchange, pausing the conflict after 15 months.
Estimates by the Palestinian health ministry show that more than 47,100 Gazans lost their lives to Israeli attacks since the conflict began, with the majority being civilians.
Meanwhile, about 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents were forcibly displaced due to the conflict, with some 92pc (436,000) of housing units in Gaza destroyed or damaged, in addition to 80pc commercial facilities, acording to Al Jazeera.
Speaking during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan highlighted the importance of rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure in Gaza during the conflict.
“We urge the international community to develop a concrete plan for the reconstruction of Gaza in line with UNSC resolutions,” he said.
He also called for the accountability of Israeli crimes committed in this “brutal war”, saying it was an essential element in restoring international legitimacy.
Welcoming the ceasefire deal, Khan reiterated Pakistan’s support for a two-state solution and condemned the recent Israeli raid in the Jenin refugee camp of West Bank which resulted in the killing of 10 Palestinians.
He said, “Such actions potentially undermine the precarious ceasefire in Gaza and the international community should take note of it.”
‘No support for ISIS’
Separately, Khan denied claims of supporting the banned militant Islamic State (ISIS) group. He said, “We strongly reject Afghanistan’s allegations of supporting ISIS. We urge the Afghan administration to dismantle the terrorist camps of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”
Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir said that the only points of contention between the two countries were the presence of the banned TTP in Afghanistan and cross-border attacks.
Security forces on Sunday killed five terrorists who were attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
On migrant boat accidents
Regarding the Atlantic Ocean migrant boat tragedy, the FO spokesperson said that 25 Pakistanis had fortunately survived the accident, and the list of survivors was shared with the public.
“The incident was being further monitored and the Moroccan authorities fully cooperated fully in all matters,” he added.
The boat tragedy occurred in the waters between Mauritania and Morocco earlier this month. As per media reports, 44 out of a total of 65 Pakistani immigrants on board the ship either drowned or died after alleged torture.
On Indus Basin Treaty
While speaking on the Indus Basin Treaty, he said that Pakistan is fully committed to this agreement. “It is hoped that India will also ensure the implementation of this agreement,” he stated.
He also said that Pakistan and India were ready for any effort regarding the release of prison.
Reference Link: https://www.dawn.com/news/1887184
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
