https://arab.news/vaxvg
- Palestinian authorities refused to bury the unidentified bodies without knowing where and how they were killed
- Pakistani delegation also participated in the meeting of OIC Contact Group on Kashmir on the sidelines of UNGA
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday condemned Israel’s “inexcusably barbaric act” of sending a container with 88 decomposed bodies of unidentified Palestinians, which Gaza Strip authorities refused to bury without information on where and how they were killed.
The bodies were brought to the Palestinian territory in a truck via an Israel-controlled crossing, with no details provided about the names, ages or locations of the victims.
Israel launched a military operation in Gaza following a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which the group said was a response to worsening conditions faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
Since then, the conflict has claimed over 43,000 lives, including a significant number of women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
“This inexcusably barbaric act violates international humanitarian law, which requires the respectful handling and identification of the deceased,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly news briefing.
“Israel must disclose the identities of the deceased and ensure the dignified return of the mortal remains to their families,” she added.
Baloch said Israeli occupation forces denied the victims their dignity and added to their families’ suffering by withholding the gender and names of the deceased Palestinians.
She emphasized that no family should be deprived of the right to bury their loved ones and urged the global community to hold Israel accountable for its “war crimes.”
The spokesperson also expressed Pakistan’s growing concerns over the evolving security situation in the Middle East following Israel’s “dangerous escalation” in Lebanon, saying it threatened peace in an already volatile region.
“Pakistan condemns this aggression and reaffirms its unwavering support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she added.
OIC KASHMIR CONTACT GROUP MEETING
Baloch informed reporters that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly Session in New York, where Defense Minister Khawaja Asif led Pakistan’s delegation.
“Member states of the contact group emphasized the importance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute on the OIC’s agenda and expressed support for the Kashmiri people and their rights and freedoms,” she said.
“The meeting concluded with the adoption of a comprehensive joint communique, reaffirming the OIC’s consistent support for the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people to realize their inalienable right to self-determination.”
Baloch said Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to Kashmiris for the just and peaceful settlement of the lingering dispute.