Pakistan, Saudi Arabia call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
We are now actively discussing the potential for famine in Gaza, and it means people are starving to death because humanitarian assistance is not geting to them. This is an unacceptable situation: Saudi FM
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, on a visit to Islamabad, said that international efforts towards a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have been “wholly insufficient.”
“We are now actively discussing the potential for famine in Gaza, and it means people are starving to death because humanitarian assistance is not geting to them,” he said. “This is an unacceptable situation.”
He said, “we are already in an unstable region, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is already inflaming the region. We do not need more conflict in our region, we do not need more confrontation in our region, so it is our position that the de-escalation must be everybody’s priority.”
Tensions in the region have ramped up since the start of the latest Israel-hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating crossborder atack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,800 people, according to local health officials.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described the killings in Gaza as “genocide” and said that the “world’s conscience must wake up” and there should be “an immediate and unconditional ceasefire” with aid flowing into the territory.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif earlier met Prince Faisal and called for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia to help his cash-strapped nation with investment, a government statement said.
On Monday, Shahbaz said the visit by Prince Faisal and the high level delegation showed the “strong commitment of both countries to the strengthening of bilateral relations focused on mutually beneficial economic cooperation.” Prince Faisal also met President Asif Ali Zardari. Shahbaz last week met Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, one of Pakistan’s closest allies and a leading supplier of oil to Islamabad. According to Pakistani officials, Prince Salman had assured Pakistan that Saudi Arabia would invest $5 billion in Pakistan.
In July, Saudi Arabia deposited $2 billion into Pakistan’s central bank to boost its foreign exchange reserves.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defence and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and the top source of remittances to the South Asian country.
Pakistan has offered the visiting high-level Saudi delegation privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and airports along with joint ventures to build two five-star hotels in Islamabad.
The offers were placed before the Saudi delegation led by Prince Faisal during the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) meeting held in Islamabad on Tuesday.
The visiting Saudi delegation consists of Saudi Minister of Water and Agriculture, Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley; Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar
Ibrahim Alkhorayef; Assistant Minister of Investment, Ibrahim bin Yousef Al-mubarak; Head of Saudi Special Commitee, Mohammed Maziad Al-tuwaijri; and senior officials from Ministry of Energy and Saudi Public Investment Fund.
“We aim to transform our traditionally fraternal ties into a strategic and economic partnership,” Ishaq Dar said as he addressed a Pakistan-saudi Arabia Investment Conference in Islamabad, held under the umbrella of Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council, set up last year to oversee all foreign investments.
“Your investments are not just financial commitments but are crucial in nurturing a deeply valued partnership,” Dar told the visiting dignitary.
“It is through the SIFC plaform that we intend to streamline investment processes while ensuring rapid decision making and efficient handling of investments… The SIFC has a central role in augmenting our infrastructure and streamlining our regulatory frameworks to set the stage for a flourishing investment friendly economic environment.”