Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday vehemently condemned the killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, calling it a “barbaric act” and a blatant violation of international laws.
Sharif emphasized that the extraterritorial assassination had received widespread condemnation from Pakistan and other countries, including Turkey, Russia, Iran, China, and Malaysia, all of which have strongly disapproved of the attack.
During a meeting on the Palestine situation in Islamabad, the prime minister mentioned that Ismail Haniyeh’s children and grandchildren were also brutally killed.
The meeting included parliamentarians from allied political parties such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), and the National Party.
Sharif highlighted the ongoing bloodshed in Palestine, noting that it has continued for nine months and resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 innocent Palestinians, including thousands of children. He stressed that the violence persists, with numerous Palestinians being killed daily.
“The world is silent over this barbarism,” he said, adding that “such terrorism and extremism are highly condemnable.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticized Israel for disregarding verdicts from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and United Nations resolutions, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to destroy Palestine.
Sharif thanked Western countries like Ireland and Spain for supporting the Palestinian cause and the two-state solution.
The attendees expressed their collective anger and sorrow over the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians, unanimously condemning the brutality and showing full solidarity with their Palestinian brothers and sisters.
The meeting demanded immediate access to humanitarian aid for defenseless Palestinians.
It was decided that Pakistan would continue to supply relief materials and provide medical assistance to injured Palestinians, including bringing them to Pakistan for treatment.
Palestinian medical students will also be offered admission to Pakistani medical colleges on humanitarian grounds.
As a gesture of solidarity and condemnation of Israeli actions, the meeting declared August 2 as a national day of mourning in Pakistan.
Participants also decided to hold a funeral prayer in absentia for Ismail Haniyeh after Friday prayers across the country and to present a special resolution in Parliament expressing complete solidarity with Palestine.
“Israel is violating UN resolutions, International Court of Justice rulings, and international laws through its ongoing genocide and state brutality in Palestine, while the international community remains a silent spectator,” said the participants.
The meeting urged the international community to abandon its neutral stance and take a clear position to stop these atrocities, warning that failure would undermine the relevance of international laws and institutions for future generations.
The participants called on the global community, including the United Nations, to break their silence, stop the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Zionist forces, and bring Israel to justice for its war crimes and oppression.
