ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday urged the international community to enforce an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end the conflict affecting the Palestinian people. Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch renewed its call for holding Israel accountable for its grave crimes in Gaza. “Pakistan believes the time has come to hold Israel accountable for its grave crimes,” said the spokesperson.
She welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 and expressed hope for a lasting ceasefire and relief for Palestinians in Gaza. Baloch also welcomed the June 12 report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and Israel. She remarked that the commission’s findings confirmed reports of Israeli war crimes, such as the use of starvation as a warfare method, wilful killing, attacks on civilians, forcible transfers, torture, and other inhumane punishments.
The report holds Israeli authorities responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity during military operations in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Highlighting a significant week for Pakistan’s diplomacy on Palestine, Baloch detailed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar’s recent diplomatic engagements. She said on June 8, Dar attended an extraordinary D8 Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Turkiye, where he emphasized the urgent need for an uncondi.