Pakistan, Palestine reject polls excluding Jerusalem

ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East, said Tuesday sacrifices of the Palestinian people are unforgettable and Muslim Ummah will not accept any election in Palestine excluding Jerusalem. In a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Ahmed Jawad A A Rabei here, Ashrafi said world Leadership and the Muslim Ummah would have to take immediate action against Israeli atrocities. The government and people of Pakistan stand by Palestinians, he said, adding Palestine and Kashmir remain the burning issues of the Ummah.

The PM's assistant and the ambassador also issued a joint statement after their meeting. He said that Saudi King Shah Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and leadership of Islamic countries must act to thwart Israel's conspiracy to block elections in Jerusalem. Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan and the President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas would exchange their views next week. “Pakistan cannot accept a solution that is not acceptable to the Palestinian people,” he said.

Ambassador A.A Rabie said Pakistan's stand for Palestine is an expression of the entire Ummah. He stated elections without Jerusalem are not acceptable to the Palestinian people, and thanked the government of Pakistan for its stand in this regard.