Pakistan views Palestine issue at par with Kashmir issue: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday reassured the Ambassador of the State of Palestine His Excellency Walid A.M. Abu Ali that Pakistan views the unresolved Palestine issue at par with the Kashmir issue.

The ambassador called on General Bajwa at the General Head Quarters on Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

General Bajwa said that both, the Palestine and Kashmir issues, have unequivocal public, moral, and political support of the Pakistani nation and the country will continue to support the principled stance on both regardless of the so-called reality of occupation.

Abu Ali thanked the COAS for Pakistan’s support to the Palestinian cause.

Earlier this week, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had said that Jerusalem was the “eternal capital of the State of Palestine” in response to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he was recognising the city as Israel’s capital.

In a pre-recorded speech played on Palestine TV, Abbas had rejected Trump’s announcement, which included a decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, a move he said was “tantamount to the United States abdicating its role as a peace mediator.” 

A statement from Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's office on December 7 stated that it is "deeply regrettable that pleas from states across the globe not to alter the legal and historical status of Al-Quds Al-Sharif have been ignored, more out of choice than necessity."

President Donald Trump on December 6 recognised the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital - a historic decision that overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East.

"This decision represents a serious violation of international law and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, more specifically UNSCR 478. It is a serious setback to the rule of law and international norms. It signals a severe blow to the Middle East peace process as well," the statement from the Prime Minister's Office said. 

Pakistan shares the international outrage and is deeply concerned over the implications of this decision for international peace and security, especially in the Middle East, the statement said and added that Pakistan called upon the UN Security Council to take cognisance of this situation and take steps in accordance with the UN Charter.

Pakistan has urged the United States to revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions in the region and beyond."

'Nation indebted to martyrs,' Nawaz says

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) president and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif late Tuesday said that the martyred army officials in North Waziristan are the pride of Pakistani nation.

"Martyrs like Moeed and Basharat are the pride of the Pakistani nation," Sharif said in a statement issued late Tuesday. "The sons of soil have joined the proud ranks of martyrs who have laid their lives for the country."

He said that the entire nation is indebted to the families of the martyrs.

"The martyrdom of Moeed and Basharat is proof of the fact that our soldiers and officers outdo their peers when it comes to laying down their lives for the country."

The PML-N president paid homage to the martyrs and extended his sympathies to the bereaved families.