Daily Times

As the international community observed World Children’s Day on Thursday, Pakistan drew its attention to the plight of Kashmiri children living in an environment of “fear and intimidation” due to ongoing Indian atrocities, as over 100,000 had been orphaned.

“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 become orphans as a result of Indian oppression in the IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir). Their plight deserves international attention,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing.

She called on the international community to stand up for the rights of Kashmiri children and demand an end to their suffering and reaffirmed Pakistan’s political, diplomatic, and moral support to Kashmiri people for a just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, under the UN Security Council resolutions.

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.

She said Pakistan welcomed the condemnation of the ongoing smear campaigns and attacks against the UNRWA and called on all member states to fulfill their legal obligations to prevent and stop irregular violations of international law and hold Israel accountable.

The spokesperson expressed regret over the result of Wednesday’s vote at the UN Security Council and the inability to reach consensus on the resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Pakistan reiterates its call for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, unhindered access to humanitarian assistance, and full support to the UNRWA and its mandated humanitarian activities.”

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 the day. 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.

Spokesperson 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.

Asked about the recent surge in terror activities, the spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s call on the Afghan authorities to take action against the terrorist elements having hideouts in Afghanistan and risking not only Pakistan’s peace but also the whole region.

She said in its recent meeting, the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, had also expressed its concerns about the support received by the terror groups from the hostile elements.

She said Pakistan had shared concrete pieces of evidence with Afghan authorities on such terrorist groups and their operation on their soil which was also the concern of the international community.

Asked about the progress in repatriation of illegal foreign nationals, Spokesperson Baloch told the media that the process continued as around 757,008 individuals had been repatriated till the end of October this year.

To a question about the TAPI project, she said Pakistan was committed to promoting connectivity with the Central Asian states and continued to engage with them on such projects.