ISLAMABAD: Shehbaz Sharif has demanded that Israel should be held accountable for the assassination of Hamas leader. Speaking in the National Assembly on Friday, the PM said the entire Pakistani nation and Muslim Ummah are aggrieved over the martyrdom of Haniyeh.
He added the martyrdom of Haniyeh is a blow to peace efforts in the region. He said Islamabad condemns terrorism in all its shapes and manifestations including extra judicial and extraterritorial killings.
He strongly condemned the brutalities and atrocities committed by Israel against innocent Palestinians, asserting that Israel has exceeded all bounds of persecution in Palestine.
PM offers in absentia funeral prayer for Haniyeh
The PM noted there is widespread anger worldwide, especially within the Muslim world, in response to Israeli acts against people of Palestine. He also warned that if justice is not served and Israel is not held answerable, it will further inflame public anger and sentiments.
Pakistan’s PM said the sacrifices being rendered by Palestinians will always be remembered in golden words, stressing these will not go waste but will bear fruit. He noted that a nation which is offering sacrifices for the sake of freedom and independence cannot be defeated.
Later, in absentia funeral prayers of Ismail Haniyeh were also offered in the PM house mosque, which were attended by the Prime Minister and ministers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared August 2 as a day of mourning over the assassination of Hamas Political chief Ismail Haniyeh and expressed complete solidarity with the Palestinian people. The premier denounced the extraterritorial killing, which he described as a blatant breach of international law, and said that it had drawn widespread condemnation from Pakistan and other nations, including Turkiye, Russia, Iran, China, and Malaysia.
Addressing a meeting in Islamabad on the situation in Palestine, Sharif highlighted the brutal loss of Haniyeh’s family members and criticized the ongoing violence in Palestine. He pointed out that over the past nine months, more than 40,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, have died due to the conflict.
The prime minister condemned Israel for disregarding International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings and United Nations resolutions, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to destroy Palestine. He expressed appreciation for Western support from countries like Ireland and Spain, which advocate for the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution.
The meeting, attended by representatives from various political parties including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and others, voiced unified outrage over Israeli aggression and affirmed solidarity with Palestinians.
Participants declared August 2 a national day of mourning in Pakistan, decided to hold a national funeral prayer in absentia for Haniyeh after Friday prayers and planned to present a special resolution in Parliament supporting Palestine.
