Prime Minister lauds Ireland’s move to recognize Palestine

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday praised the government of Ireland’s recent decision to recognize Palestine as an independent state.

The prime minister, during a telephonic conversation with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris, felicitated him on his assumption of office and remarked that his youth and dynamism would bring major changes in Ireland.

He said Ireland’s decision would send a message of hope and solidarity to the innocent Palestinians who were suffering Israel’s brutal atrocities. “It would also go a long way in promoting the Palestine cause and would urge other countries to follow Ireland.”

The prime minister added that Pakistan had always advocated that a two-state solution, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, was the only way to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the just struggle of the Palestinian people and lauded the decision of the ICJ to order Israel to stop its assault on Gaza and Rafah.

He also expressed the hope that the oppressed people of Kashmir would receive similar attention from the international community, as they too have been enduring a brutal occupation and denial of fundamental human rights for the last seven decades.