On Friday, Pakistan urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to grant Palestine full membership in the UN and welcomed the announcements from Ireland, Spain, and Norway about recognizing Palestine as a state on May 28. The Prime Ministers of these countries made the announcement on Wednesday, joining Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas in recognizing Palestine, bringing the total number of countries to nearly 150.
During a weekly press briefing, Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed Pakistan’s support for these recognitions. She emphasized that the State of Palestine is now recognized by a significant majority of UN member states and called for full membership for Palestine in the UN, as advocated by a recent UN General Assembly resolution. Baloch urged the UNSC to act positively towards this goal.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif) as its capital. Baloch highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stressing the urgency of establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.
Furthermore, Pakistan has been vocal about Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza. The conflict began on October 7 with Hamas’s attacks, resulting in over 1,170 deaths, mostly civilians, and the capture of 252 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has led to significant casualties in Gaza.
Additionally, Baloch discussed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE committed $10 billion to invest in Pakistan’s economy, targeting sectors such as information technology, renewable energy, and tourism. The two nations reaffirmed their commitment to implementing investment cooperation agreements across various industries.
