Pakistan urges world to force Israel to adhere to peace deal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called upon the international community for the umpteenth time on Wednesday to ensure immediate cessation of ceasefire violations by Israeli occupation forces.

“In spite of an international ceasefire headed by the United States, not a day goes by that Palestinians are not bombarded by Israel. Pakistan strongly condemns renewed attacks by Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, reportedly resulting in civilian casualties.

“These actions constitute a clear and flagrant violation of international law, as well as a breach of the recently concluded peace agreement,” said the Foreign Office in a statement.

The statement comes at a time when a debate has erupted in Pakistan on the pros and cons of sending Pakistani troops for peacekeeping to Gaza, with the government saying no decision has yet been taken.

Pakistan points out that the aggressive measures by the Israeli occupation forces threaten to undermine the international efforts aimed at establishing durable peace and stability in the region.

“Pakistan also reiterates its principled position for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” it added.

Meanwhile, earlier at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan took a strong stand in solidarity with the government and people of Cuba in their sovereign right to pursue their chosen path of development and to ensure access to essential goods such as food, medicine, and technology without restriction. “The impact that the economic, financial and commercial embargo has had on Cuba and its people is deeply concerning,” said Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan, during the Debate on Agenda Item 38: ‘‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba’’ in the General Assembly.

Pakistan, he pointed out, has a longstanding and unwavering commitment to multilateralism guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

“We believe international cooperation must rest on the pillars of sovereign equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states. Resorting to unilateral economic measures stands in stark contradiction to these principles, particularly the selective application of such measures on developing countries, driven by political considerations.

“Such measures — including the extraterritorial application of domestic laws — contravene international law, including the humanitarian and human rights obligations,” said the ambassador.

In this regard, the report of the secretary general documents the multidimensional impacts of the embargo. The report highlights that decades of economic, commercial and financial embargo have imposed severe burdens on Cuba’s development trajectory.

The restrictions have significantly constrained the country’s ability to engage in trade, access foreign investment, conduct financial and banking transactions and import essential goods and services. These limitations have disrupted the normal functioning of the economy, hampered growth and undermined the structural conditions needed for sustainable development, besides the humanitarian consequences of the measures.