You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians

Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians

Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians
Magistrates are seen at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of South Africa's request on a Gaza ceasefire in The Hague, on May 24, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/pyw2r

Updated 25 May 2024
Follow

Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians

Pakistan welcomes ICJ ruling on Gaza, reaffirms support to Palestinians
  • The ICJ decision added to the pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel, coming just days after Norway, Ireland and Spain announced they will recognize Palestine as a state
  • The case against Israel was initiated by South Africa in December 2023, where it labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza Strip as ‘genocidal’ and said they intended to destroy Palestinians
Updated 25 May 2024
KASHIF IMRAN
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday welcomed additional provisional measures by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, reaffirming its support for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
The ICJ decision on Friday added to the pressure on an increasingly isolated Israel, coming just days after Norway, Ireland and Spain said they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor of a separate international court sought arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The case against Israel was initiated by South Africa in December 2023, where it labeled Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocidal,” asserting that they intended to destroy the Palestinian people in ways specified under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign office said Islamabad supported the application filed by South Africa before the ICJ against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention, in follow up to which the ICJ announced additional provisional measures for Rafah.
“Pakistan demands immediate and unconditional implementation of the latest orders of the ICJ... We call on the UN Security Council to play its role in ending Israel’s ongoing brutal military campaign across Gaza; allowing unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance; taking effective measures to protect civilians in Gaza; and holding Israel accountable for its crimes,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinians for a viable, secure, contiguous and sovereign State of Palestine on the basis of the pre-1967 borders and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Israel besieged the Gaza Strip and launched airstrikes following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, prompted by the deteriorating conditions of the Palestinian people living under the Israeli occupation.
To date, the Palestinian death toll has reached about 36,000, predominantly women and children, as Netanyahu’s administration continues its military campaign that has demolished hundreds of residential neighborhoods along with hospitals and educational institutions.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza, launched last October, at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.
“As required by the latest ruling of ICJ, Israeli occupation authorities should keep the Rafah crossing open for unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance, and ensure unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip of any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or other investigative body mandated by the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide,” the foreign office added.

Topics: International Court of Justice Gaza ceasefire

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel
Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel

Pakistan co-sponsors resolution at UN for implementation of ICJ verdict against Israel
  • Proposal demands Israel’s ‘unconditional’ withdrawal from Palestinian territories, reparation for damage
  • Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent and viable Palestinian state
Updated 5 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan co-sponsored a draft resolution presented at the United Nations on Tuesday, seeking the implementation of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The ICJ declared Israel’s settlement policy in the West Bank and East Jerusalem a violation of international law in July, issuing its non-binding advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian lands.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 War. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state.

“Pakistan has co-sponsored the draft resolution … which seeks to implement the conclusions of the ICJ,” said Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, during the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

“The ICJ’s advisory opinion marks a milestone of justice, an expression of equity, and a flame of hope,” he added.

Akram highlighted the resolution demanded Israel’s “immediate, complete, and unconditional” withdrawal from Palestinian territories, reparations for the damage caused, an immediate end to its unlawful policies, compliance with ICJ orders and the assurance of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

The Pakistani diplomat said the draft resolution also recommended holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law and bearing legal consequences for all its “wrongful” actions by establishing an “international register of damage” to assist in reparations.

Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”

The ICJ ruling came against the backdrop of Israel’s devastating 11-month military assault on Gaza, which began last October. The world court also found Israel’s use of natural resources in the occupied territories “inconsistent” with its obligations under international law as an occupying power.

Topics: Pakistan ICJ verdict Palestine Ambassador Munir Akram

British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change

British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change
Updated 18 September 2024
Follow

British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change

British Council launches £15,000 grants for Pakistani artists to tackle climate change
  • Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, says the Global Climate Risk Index
  • The council’s country director says arts have a crucial role to play in addressing climate crisis
Updated 18 September 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The British Council has launched a new program for cultural organizations and artists in Pakistan, awarding grants of up to £15,000 to address the climate change emergency, aiming to promote sustainable projects and practices within the country, said a statement on Wednesday.
The program is part of an initiative to support climate action by providing grants to South Asian artists and cultural organizations in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, with mentorship sessions offered to selected grantees by UK specialists throughout the project’s course.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, with its susceptibility to extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves, which have significant impacts on agriculture, infrastructure and public health.
“A new initiative from the British Council aimed at supporting climate action in the creative industries in Pakistan is now open for applications,” the statement said on Wednesday. “The Climate Futures: South Asia program is designed to support the arts sector with grants of £15,000 available to artists and cultural organizations.”
The statement added that the program would support artist-led initiatives promoting “knowledge creation” and cultural sector sustainability, designing and implementing capacity-building initiatives, and “optimizing infrastructure to enhance climate change awareness and sustainable approaches within the arts sector.”
The deadline for all applications is November 25 at 4:59 am PST, the statement said, highlighting that successful applicants would have the opportunity to “make a significant impact on the global climate conversation through their projects.”
“We believe that the arts have a crucial role to play in addressing the climate crisis,” British Council Pakistan’s Country Director James Hampson said. “Climate Futures: South Asia is an exciting opportunity for artists and cultural organizations to lead the way and drive forward innovative projects that will inspire change.”
The British Council will also host a series of information sessions on October 8 and 22 to guide applicants through the application process and help them maximize their chances of securing funding.

Topics: British Council pakistan climate change

Karachi’s oldest lockup, Jackson Police Station, evolves as city sprawls

Karachi’s oldest lockup, Jackson Police Station, evolves as city sprawls
Updated 18 September 2024
Follow

Karachi’s oldest lockup, Jackson Police Station, evolves as city sprawls

Karachi’s oldest lockup, Jackson Police Station, evolves as city sprawls
  • Founded in 1924, Jackson is used to hold petty criminals and suspects in serious crimes before they are presented in court, sentenced
  • Proximity to Keamari Port means lockup sees all manner of suspects in cases of smuggling, illegal fishing, murder and drug trafficking
Updated 18 September 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: The Jackson Police Station, founded in 1924, is the oldest surviving police station in the Pakistani megacity of Karachi. Once known as a temporary lockup for petty criminals, it has evolved over the decades into a key facility to hold suspects involved in serious crimes like murder, armed robbery and drug trafficking in a bustling port area of the country’s commercial hub.
As the population of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most populous city, has surged from 244,000 to over 20 million in the last century, so too has the nature of crimes. The Jackson Police Station — which is used to house suspects before they are produced in courts or convicted and sentenced to prison — has kept up pace.
“While the lockup has been in existence for the past 100 years, its guests have changed over time,” Station House Master Muhammad Ishaq told Arab News.
Fifty years ago, the criminals brought to the lockup may have pick-pocketed a few hundred rupees or nicked schoolbooks from a nearby shop, but now, people accused of violent murders are brought in and a drug dealer was recently holed up there after being caught with nearly 58 kilograms of narcotics.
“Similarly, we’ve apprehended robbers and those involved in oil theft from the [nearby] refinery,” Ishaq said.
The area where Jackson Police Station is located on Napier Mole Road near Karachi’s Keamari Port is one of the city’s most dynamic and densely populated regions, a dizzying mishmash of residential, commercial, and industrial zones.
Due to its proximity to the port, offenses such as smuggling, illegal fishing and other maritime-related crimes are common in the area. Issues of street crime, narcotics, and public order are also standard-fare in the Keamari region, home to a diverse population of dock workers, traders and various ethnic communities.
Peerzada Salman, the author of ‘Legacies of Empires’ about colonial-era buildings in Karachi, said most of the buildings in Keamari were built before the partition of the Indian Subcontinent and the end of British colonial rule in 1947. 
The police station and a nearby market were named after either of two prominent Jacksons of Karachi, Salman said: one, the principal of DJ College and the other a prominent pharmacy owner.
“PRISON CONDITIONS”
According to documents seen by Arab News, the police station existed before 1933.
“In 1924, the first police post or police station [of Karachi] was established here, and its building is still there in front of you, and it also has a plaque from that time,” SHO Ishaq said. “We also have records of the SHOs from after 1935 onwards.
“From the very beginning, it has a lockup and an arms depot where weapons are stored securely. It has a bunker [as well]. All of this indicates that the building was originally constructed precisely to be used as a police station.”
But the condition of the lockup has long been a point of concern.
Pakistan has one of the world’s most overcrowded prison systems, according to Human Rights Watch, which said in a report released last year that the South Asian nation’s more than 100 jails had at least 88,000 inmates, against the officially approved capacity of 65,168. Some jail cells, the report said, were holding as many as 15 prisoners when they were designed for just three. 
Prisoners are forced to live under unsanitary conditions and “lice, fleas, scabies and skin diseases are common in prison,” it said.
Other than the lack of health care facilities in prisons, the report also highlighted rights abuses faced by the prisoners, including torture, discrimination and lack of access to legal aid.
Prisons are also under-resourced, experts say, and efforts at reform are stymied by ingrained attitudes of discrimination, among other reasons.
Jibran Nasir, a lawyer and human rights activist, criticized the state of lockups across Pakistan, describing them as “overcrowded, poorly ventilated, smelly, and lacking basic amenities like washrooms and bedding.”
 “Suspects are held temporarily, but their detention can be extended during physical remands. Often, they have no contact with family members who could provide essentials like pillows or clean clothes,” Nasir said.
But SHO Ishaq said “standard operating procedures” at Jackson were “of the same level and methods in the whole of Pakistan.”
“Safety, security, cleanliness and the facilities that should be provided to the accused, they are all there, because we hate the crime, not the suspect,” the police officer said, adding that greater attention was now being paid to the cleanliness and hygiene of the police station.
Salman, whose book has a dedicated chapter on Jackson, also said there was room for improvement.
Apart from playing a “vital role” in policing, the station was also part of the city’s cultural heritage and along with other buildings in the vicinity needed upkeep, the historian said.
“The Jackson Police Station, I think, is in pretty good shape. Still, it needs a bit of restoration, a bit of refurbishment … The facade looks good, but obviously the inner area needs a bit of touch-up.”

Topics: Karachi Police Jackson Police Station

Pakistani players to face Chinese, Iranian opponents in Snooker World Cup quarterfinals today

Pakistani players to face Chinese, Iranian opponents in Snooker World Cup quarterfinals today
Updated 18 September 2024
Follow

Pakistani players to face Chinese, Iranian opponents in Snooker World Cup quarterfinals today

Pakistani players to face Chinese, Iranian opponents in Snooker World Cup quarterfinals today
  • Asjad Iqbal and Awais Munir have won all their matches during the tournament played in Mongolia
  • Snooker has gained substantial popularity in Pakistan, becoming one of its most followed cue sports
Updated 18 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan cueists Asjad Iqbal and Awais Munir have qualified for the Mongolia Snooker World Cup 2024 quarterfinals scheduled to be played today, Wednesday, at Ulaanbaatar where they go up against China and Iran, state-run media reported.
The Mongolia Snooker World Cup 2024 is taking place from Sep 15-22. The tournament is part of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation’s schedule which has been held annually in Mongolia’s capital since 2019.
“In the quarterfinals to be played on Wednesday, Asjad will face Gao Yang (China) while Awais will be up against Ali Gharahgozlou (Iran),” the Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Tuesday.
According to local media reports, the Pakistani snooker players did not face any defeat in their matches and qualified for the Round of 16.
On Sep 15, Munir beat Iran’s Siyavosh Mozayani 3-1 with frame scores of 9-63, 78-34, 59-50, and 73-13 while Iqbal defeated Qatar’s Ali Alobaidi 3-1 with frame scores of 59-36, 26-63, 58-19, and 70-58.
Snooker has gained substantial popularity in Pakistan over the years, becoming one of the country’s most followed cue sports. Its rise can be attributed to the availability of snooker clubs across the countries, offering affordable access to the game. Pakistani players have also achieved significant success in international snooker, further boosting its appeal.
The breakthrough moment for snooker in Pakistan came in 1994 when Mohammad Yousuf won the IBSF World Snooker Championship, putting the country on the global snooker map. His success inspired many young players to take up the sport.

Topics: Snooker Champion

Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments

Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments
Updated 18 September 2024
Follow

Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments

Key Pakistani politician rejects ‘person-specific system’ amid push for constitutional amendments
  • Bilawal Bhutto says any decisions regarding laws related to the judiciary should be made through consultation
  • He says the Supreme Court is consuming much of its time on political matters occupying 15% of its workload
Updated 18 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The top official of a leading Pakistani political party, which played a key role in helping Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif form his coalition government, said on Tuesday he did not want a “person-specific system” when asked about a major constitutional amendment package the government plans to push through the national parliament.
The package, which proposes 52 amendments to the supreme national document, was expected to be tabled in the National Assembly and Senate during the last session but was postponed since the government did not have enough numbers to meet the required two-third majority.
The Sharif government is proposing to increase the retirement age of superior judges by three years and revisit the seniority principle in the appointment of the country’s top judge.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party of jailed former premier Imran Khan has criticized the constitutional package, saying it is meant to grant an extension to incumbent Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely believed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI.
“I do not want to create a person-specific system that rules someone in or out,” Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), whose support is vital to the government, told ARY News during an interview. “I believe any decision should be made through consultation. There’s no harm if such consultation happens between the executive and the judiciary.”
In response to a question about whether a new chief justice would take oath in October when Isa is scheduled to retire this year, Bhutto-Zardari said he had “no doubt that the next chief justice will be Mansoor Ali Shah.”
The Pakistani lawyers’ associations have already maintained the government is trying to undermine “the unity of the judges” through the constitutional amendment package.
Many believe that Pakistan’s judiciary is divided among judges widely seen to be favoring one political party or another.
The PPP leader maintained neither the judiciary not parliament was working properly.
He also noted that the Supreme Court was primarily consuming its time while adjudicating political matters that occupied nearly 15 percent of its workload.

Topics: Pakistan judiciary Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Latest updates

GCC economies set for 4.4% growth in 2025, report forecasts
GCC economies set for 4.4% growth in 2025, report forecasts
Saudi Arabia approves new commercial registration, trade name laws
Saudi Arabia approves new commercial registration, trade name laws
Two children among 12 dead in Lebanon pager blasts: minister
Two children among 12 dead in Lebanon pager blasts: minister
Kuwait trade surplus with Japan hits $543m
Kuwait trade surplus with Japan hits $543m
Saudi foreign minister in Jordan for meeting on Gaza
Saudi foreign minister in Jordan for meeting on Gaza

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.