File photo of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Aamir Qureshi—AFP
During phone call with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Pakistan’s premier emphasizes importance of solidarity among Muslim Ummah
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday appreciated Cairo’s role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister “strongly” condemned the Israeli aggression against innocent Palestinians, especially women and children, and the sacrilege of Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramzan. “The prime minister stressed the importance of the early and just resolution of the Palestine issue,” it added.
Terming the current crisis in Gaza akin to Palestinians living in an “open prison,” Khan called for the “total withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem; restitution of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people including their right to self-determination and the right of return to Palestine and the establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian State, as part of a two-state solution, with pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.”
He also emphasized the importance of solidarity within the Muslim Ummah, and stressed on adopting a collective approach, especially through the platform of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to safeguard the rights of Muslims, particularly those living under foreign occupation.
The statement noted that Khan had outlined recent efforts of Pakistan to amplify the voice of the Palestinian people, adding that he had reaffirmed Islamabad’s ongoing support for the just settlement of the Palestinian issue. “President Sisi invited the prime minister to visit Egypt, while the prime minister renewed his invitation to President Sisi to visit Pakistan,” read the statement, adding that both leaders had agreed to continue with the momentum of high-level exchanges to further strengthen bilateral political and economic ties between their two countries.