Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has announced a strict ban on the New Year celebration in Pakistan to show solidarity with Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza. The ban is in response to the serious situation in Palestine and the need to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.
However, Pakistan and the Muslim world are deeply affected by the Israeli forces’ brutal actions in Gaza and the West Bank, resulting in the deaths of over 21,000 Palestinians and 9,000 children. The situation has led to widespread condemnation of the massacre and the genocide of unarmed Palestinians, prompting Pakistan to dispatch aid packages to Palestine.
Relations between Palestine and Pakistan
Pakistan-Palestine relations refer to the bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the State of Palestine. The Palestinian Authority established an embassy in Islamabad in 2017. Pakistan supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state and does not recognize Israel. However, former President Pervez Musharraf stated that Pakistan would recognize Israel’s sovereignty if Israel withdrew its forces from Israeli-occupied territories and allowed an independent Palestinian state to be established within the Green Line. Pakistan provides humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority.
Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority have a close political relationship, with Pakistan providing military assistance to the Arabs during the 1948 Palestine War. Pakistan bought rifles and planes for the Arabs and participated in the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars. After the 1973 war, Pakistan and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) signed an agreement for training PLO officers in Pakistani military institutions. The PLO was recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians in 1974 and Pakistan supported the organization during the First Intifada in 1987.
Pakistan Prohibits New Year’s Eve Events in Support of “Oppressed” Palestinians
The acting prime minister of Pakistan declared on Thursday that New Year’s festivities will not be allowed anywhere in the country in support of the Palestinian people, as Israel continues its military operation to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In his nationally aired statement, Kakar added, “The whole Pakistani nation and the Muslim world are in a state of deep grief over the genocide of unarmed Palestinians, especially the massacre of children, in Gaza and the West Bank.
The prime minister declared, “There will be a complete countrywide ban on organizing any kind of events in connection with the New Year celebration due to the extremely worrying situation in Palestine and to express solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
