Pakistan on Saturday has welcomed a new ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that orders Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.
The ICJ revised an earlier directive, demanding Israel cease its military actions in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where Israeli forces were deployed on May 6.
“Israel must immediately halt its military offensive or any other action in the Rafah governorate that could inflict conditions on the Palestinian population in Gaza leading to its physical destruction, in whole or in part,” said ICJ President Nawaf Salam, as he read the order for additional provisional measures requested by South Africa in the genocide case against Israel.
In a statement, a Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Pakistan supports the application filed by South Africa before the ICJ against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention, which led to the Court announcing additional provisional measures.
“As required by the latest ICJ ruling, Israeli occupation authorities should keep the Rafah crossing open for unhindered humanitarian assistance and ensure unimpeded access to Gaza for any UN-mandated investigative bodies probing allegations of genocide,” she added.
The statement further demanded the immediate and unconditional implementation of the ICJ’s latest orders against Israel, as well as previous orders from January 26 and March 28.
“We call on the UN Security Council to play its role in ending Israel’s ongoing brutal military campaign across Gaza; ensuring the unhindered flow of humanitarian assistance; taking effective measures to protect civilians in Gaza; and holding Israel accountable for its crimes,” it reads.
Pakistan reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Palestinians’ inalienable right to self-determination, advocating for a viable, secure, contiguous, and sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also lauded the ICJ’s decision to order Israel to stop its assault on Gaza and Rafah, reaffirming Pakistan’s strong commitment to the just struggle of the Palestinian people.
“We hope the oppressed people of Kashmir will receive similar attention from the international community, as they too have been enduring brutal occupation and denial of fundamental human rights for the last seven decades,” the prime minister said on his official X timeline.
