Pakistan PM vows ‘unwavering support’ for Palestinians, pledges continued aid to Gaza

Pakistan PM vows ‘unwavering support’ for Palestinians, pledges continued aid to Gaza
Adviser to the Palestinian President on Religious Affairs and Chief Justice of the Shariat Court of Palestine Mahmoud Siddiqui Alhabash gestures during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on September 5, 2025. (Handout/PMO)
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Updated 06 September 2025
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Pakistan PM vows ‘unwavering support’ for Palestinians, pledges continued aid to Gaza

Pakistan PM vows ‘unwavering support’ for Palestinians, pledges continued aid to Gaza
  • Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Al-Habbash meets PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad
  • Pakistan reiterates backing for statehood on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the Palestinians, vowing to raise their cause at every forum and continue sending aid to Gaza.

He made the remarks during a meeting with a four-member Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Al-Habbash, presidential adviser and supreme judge, who is currently in Islamabad to attend a religious conference marking the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

“[Sharif] reaffirmed the unwavering support of the people of Pakistan to the Palestinian cause and assured the Palestinian side that Pakistan would continue to lend its full support for the brotherly people of Palestine,” the statement said.

“The prime minister reassured the Palestinian delegation that Pakistan would continue to dispatch humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.”




Adviser to the Palestinian President on Religious Affairs and Chief Justice of the Shariat Court of Palestine Mahmoud Siddiqui Alhabash presenting a letter by Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on September 5, 2025. (Handout/PMO)

On the occasion, Al-Habbash expressed his condolences over the recent floods in Pakistan, which have claimed 905 lives across the country since the beginning of the monsoon in late June.

He also presented Sharif with a letter from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has long supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling this stance a legal, moral and religious duty.

The Palestinian delegation’s visit comes amid ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza and growing global criticism over the humanitarian crisis.

Gaza health officials report more than 64,000 deaths since the war began in October 2023, while the United Nations warns of acute food shortages and mass displacement amid the ongoing conflict.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared Gaza City in famine last month, with hunger spreading since Israel began the blockade of humanitarian assistance in March.

About 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population — are facing famine, a figure expected to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.

It is the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside of Africa.


Pakistan minister voices optimism ahead of Istanbul talks with Kabul over militancy

Pakistan minister voices optimism ahead of Istanbul talks with Kabul over militancy
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Pakistan minister voices optimism ahead of Istanbul talks with Kabul over militancy

Pakistan minister voices optimism ahead of Istanbul talks with Kabul over militancy
  • Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been high in recent months following an uptick in attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces
  • The two countries engaged in fierce fighting last month and are due to meet in Istanbul on Nov. 6 to firm up a ceasefire reached in Doha

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign minister on Tuesday expressed optimism ahead of talks with Afghanistan in Istanbul that the two neighbors could work together to address cross-border militancy and strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been high in recent months following an uptick in attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing the use of their soil for these attacks, an allegation Kabul denies.

The two countries engaged in fierce fighting last month after Pakistan hit what it called TTP-affiliated targets in Afghanistan. Both sides reached a ceasefire in Doha on Oct. 19 and are due to meet in Istanbul on Nov. 6 to finalize a mechanism to keep militancy along their 2,600-kilometer border in check.

Addressing the upper house of parliament, FM Ishaq Dar said he “received six calls” from his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday and told him that he supported Afghanistan as a neighboring Muslim country, but the rise in cross-border militancy had left him in a difficult position.

“I am among those who want to move forward positively with Afghanistan, Iran and all our neighboring countries. This is my responsibility on behalf of Pakistan,” Dar said, briefing Senate members about Pakistan’s talks with Afghanistan.

“My wish and prayer is that these matters be resolved and that we help one another.”

The TTP is responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, including on churches, schools and the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, who survived the 2012 attack after she was targeted for her campaign against the Taliban’s efforts to deny women education. The group has stepped up its attacks against Pakistani security forces and law enforcement agencies in recent years.

Pakistani forces were able to effectively dismantle the TTP and kill most of its top leaders in a string of military operations from 2014 onwards in the country’s northwestern tribal areas, driving most of the fighters into neighboring Afghanistan.

Without naming anyone, Dar blamed the former government of Prime Minister Imran Khan for holding talks with the TTP and providing space to its fighters to regroup in the region.

“That was the biggest mistake. I am not against any person or any government, but this is a fact,” he said. “We must pull ourselves together so that such mistakes are not repeated, whether it’s our government or any other.”