At a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said Indian oppression, inhumane lockdown and military siege of the occupied valley continued for the 284th day on Thursday. She called upon the international community to take immediate notice of the alarming situation in the occupied territory and hold India accountable for state terrorism, extra-judicial killings and gross and systematic violations of human rights. She said it is a shared responsibility of the world community to seek immediate resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Regarding the framework agreement by Israel’s coalition government proposing annexation of West Bank, the spokesperson said Pakistan has always opposed any move for annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories as it will be a serious violation of international law and a dangerous escalation in an already volatile situation. She reiterated Pakistan’s consistent support for the two-state solution of the Palestine issue as enshrined in the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel on Wednesday for talks with leaders on plans to annex swathes of the occupied West Bank, which has been rocked by two days of deadly violence. The visit by US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat comes a day before Netanyahu’s unity government with rival-turned ally Benny Gantz was to be sworn in, ending a year of political paralysis. It also coincided with an upsurge in violence in the occupied West Bank.
Farooqui said Pakistan condemns the cowardly terrorist attack on a medical facility in Kabul as well as the suicide attack at a funeral in Nangarhar province, which resulted in loss of precious lives. “Our embassies and consulates are working round the clock in facilitating repatriation of our citizens back home,” she said, adding that so far 24,466 Pakistanis have been repatriated from more than 35 countries. She said number of nationals returning home has steadily increased from 2,000 to about 7,000 per week.
