https://arab.news/p33vg
- The conference will mark one year since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza, killing over 40,000 people
- The event comes at a time when the conflict in Gaza has spread to Lebanon and threatens to engulf the region
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration on Friday decided to hold an all-parties conference on Palestine on October 7, marking one year since the beginning of Israel’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, with a key coalition member welcoming the decision.
Pakistan has condemned the conflict in Gaza on various international forums, highlighting the toll of over 40,000 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, while calling for an immediate ceasefire and accountability for Israel’s “war crimes.”
Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has long supported the Palestinian cause, dating back to its own independence in 1947.
All-parties conferences in Pakistan have been convened in the past to address critical issues that require the country’s political leaders to rise above their differences and show national solidarity.
“I welcome the Government’s decision for the President and Prime Minister to host an all parties conference on Palestine on 7th October,” Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, whose Pakistan Peoples Party’s support proved vital for Sharif while forming the government, said in a social media post.
“One year since occupation forces began their ruthless massacre in Gaza the war theater has expanded to include Lebanon and threatens to engulf the entire region,” he added. “The whole country must speak with one voice against the imperialists Zionist agenda.”
According to local media reports, the decision was taken after Bhutto-Zardari met with the prime minister along with the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, to discuss the situation in Palestine.
Rehman recently led anti-government protests after the presentation of the last budget in which the Sharif administration imposed additional taxes.
“Oct. 7 will be observed as the Palestine Solidarity Day as it is on this day last year that Israel began the latest wave of atrocities against the people of Palestine,” reported Dunya TV.