Weekly Press Briefing by the Spokesperson Thursday, 11 January 2024
Thank you for joining us for the Weekly Briefing.
The First ever Global Health Security Summit commenced in Islamabad yesterday to discuss global health threats and foster international cooperation and strategic partnerships to increase global health security. The participating Health Ministers and international health leaders and experts from over 70 countries are discussing the impact of global health security on national health security; pandemic preparedness and response; climate change and emerging public health threats; multi-sectoral coordination; sustainable and equitable financing for global health security; access to universal health coverage; and, ensuring vaccine equity.
In his opening remarks, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani emphasized the need for global solidarity and international cooperation to ensure global health security and underlined that only an equitable global health architecture can help protect everyone from future pandemics.
In his keynote address at the summit yesterday, Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar highlighted the interdependence of nations in the face of external and internal health challenges required for a collective response. He called for a united global front in addressing health security challenges, beyond national interests, transcending national borders.
The conference concludes today with the adoption of Islamabad Declaration which will highlight the importance of a series of actionable plans that will ensure a robust global response to health emergencies, equitable access to healthcare, and the fostering of a sustainable and inclusive health ecosystem.
Pakistan has rejected the US State Department’s classification of Pakistan as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). There are serious questions about the credibility and transparency of the process of making such classifications. We also believe that such unilateral, arbitrary and subjective designations and reports are counterproductive and undermine the objective of advancing religious freedoms.
Pakistan supports the application filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice concerning Israel’s violations of its obligations under the 1951 Genocide Convention in relation to the Palestinian people in Gaza.
We consider this legal action timely and an important step towards holding Israel to account for its well-documented atrocities unleashed against Palestinian people since 7 October 2023. Pakistan shares the concerns raised in the application by South Africa. Israel’s ongoing military aggression and actions against the Palestinian people constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity and amount to genocidal acts.
We reiterate our call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire; an end to Israel’s unabated massacre of the Palestinian people; an uplifting of an inhumane siege; and expeditious delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
Pakistan firmly believes that the only just solution to the Palestinian question is the creation of an independent, viable, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State along the pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds-Al-Sharif as its capital.
The fifth of January was observed as the Right to Self-Determination Day for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted a resolution guaranteeing a free and fair plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, to enable the Kashmiri people to realize their right to self-determination.
The right to self-determination is a fundamental tenet of international law. Every year, the UN General Assembly adopts a resolution that reaffirms the legal right of people to decide their own destiny. It expresses unequivocal support for the realization of the right to self-determination for peoples under foreign occupation. For over seventy years, India has denied the Kashmiri people their inalienable right to self determination.
We urge India to respect the rights and freedoms of the people in IIOJK so that the Kashmiri people can exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.
Now an upcoming visit announcement.
Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will visit Davos, Switzerland, on 15-19 January 2024, to participate in the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The WEF is an annual gathering of government and corporate leaders for discussions on contemporary trends and challenges, developments shaping the world, and charting collective policy responses. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Rebuilding Trust.”
The Prime Minister will attend three key thematic events – (a) preventing an era of global conflict; (b) restoring faith in the global system; and (c) preventing economic fracture.
The Prime Minister will also deliver a keynote address on the theme “Trade Tech’s Trillion Dollar Promise” and hold meetings with government and business leaders on the sidelines.
Editor: Raja Kamran