ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan on Thursday urged Afghanistan to take action against terror groups operating from its soil and the world to take notice of Indian atrocities on Kashmiri children as the world is marking Children’s Day.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during weekly press briefing that Islamabad has on several occasions shared concrete evidence regarding the terror groups in Afghanistan.
She expressed the hope that the Afghan authorities would consider terrorism as a serious threat not just to the region but to their own security and fulfill their obligations under various international agreements including Doha agreement.
She said in its meeting the other day, the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, had also expressed its concern about the support received by the terror groups from the hostile elements.
Asked about the progress in repatriation of illegal foreign nationals, the spokesperson said that the process continued as around 757,008 people had been repatriated till the end of October this year.
Speaking on Palestine issue, she regretted the United States veto of a resolution in UN Security Council calling for ceasefire in Gaza war. She reiterated Pakistan's call for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, unhindered access to humanitarian assistance and full support to UN Relief and Works Agency and its mandated humanitarian activities.
She welcomed the latest report of the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, released last week describing Israel’s warfare practices in the occupied territories as acts of genocide.
Alluding to the plight of children in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Ms Baloch urged the international community to stand up for their rights and demand an end to their sufferings.
She said Pakistan would continue to extend political, moral and diplomatic support to their Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
“Living in a highly militarized territory, the trauma faced by the Kashmiri children is immense leaving indelible scars on their psychological and mental health. Over 100,000 children have been orphaned as a result of Indian oppression in the IIOJK. Their plight deserves international attention,” Ms Baloch said.
Highlighting the diplomatic activities that took place during the last week, the spokesperson mentioned the visit of a high-level parliamentary delegation from Spain’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee; the visit of UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Hamish Falconer, the second round of Pakistan-Bosnia and Herzegovina Bilateral Political Consultations and the third round of Pakistan-Kazakhstan Bilateral Political Consultations.
She told the media that the 14th session of the Pakistan-EU Joint Commission would take place on Thursday. The EU delegation will be led by Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific, Paola Pampaloni, and Secretary Economic Affairs Division Dr. Kazim Niaz will head the Pakistani delegation.
She said that the dialogue reflected the growing partnership between Pakistan and the EU, providing a valuable platform for meaningful discussions and fostering mutual understanding in areas of bilateral cooperation.
Ms Baloch announced that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko would visit Pakistan from November 25-27, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
President Lukashenko will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz and discuss areas of bilateral cooperation.
To a question about the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline, she said Pakistan was committed to promoting connectivity with the Central Asian states and continued to engage with them on such projects.