Opening Remarks for the Weekly Press Briefing by Spokesperson
Friday, 16 August 2024.
Thank you for joining us for the Weekly Briefing.
The 7th session of Pakistan-Türkiye Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) was held in Islamabad last week. Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi led the Pakistan side while the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Nuh Yilmaz, led the Turkish side.
The talks encompassed all aspects of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Türkiye. The two sides will strengthen high level bilateral engagement and fully operationalize existing agreements; and upgrade the Pakistan-Türkiye Strategic Economic Framework (SEF). They will also enhance cooperation in trade and investment, energy, security and defence, information technology, culture and tourism, education, and consular matters. Yesterday marked a tragic milestone in the ongoing war on the people of Gaza. Israeli occupation forces have massacred 40000 people, majority of them women and children. The ongoing genocide in Gaza must end and Israel should be held accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Pakistan strongly condemns the illegal storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of extremist settlers led by office bearers of the Israeli occupation authorities. Desecration of one of Islam’s holiest sites and obstruction to the rights of worshippers have deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims worldwide. This act is a violation of Geneva conventions and blatant disregard of multiple UNSC resolutions regarding the historical city of Jerusalem.
We share the concerns of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation about the peril posed by the Israeli occupation’s policies aimed at altering the Arab and Islamic character of the occupied city of Jerusalem. Pakistan calls on the international community, especially the United Nations Security Council, to take immediate action to end these serious and repeated transgressions against the sanctity of holy sites in Jerusalem; protect the Islamic character of Al-Aqsa; and to ensure the freedom of worship of the Palestinian people.
Pakistan strongly condemns the killing of four Kashmiri youth by Indian troops in the Doda district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). This brutal action by the Indian occupation authorities is yet another example of their illegal and oppressive acts against the Kashmiri people. We urge the international community to take immediate and decisive action to hold India accountable for its egregious human rights violations in IIOJK and to take steps to protect the rights and freedoms of the Kashmiri people. 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.
Thank you!
Sub Editor: Ghufran