Pakistan caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar imposed a ban on New Year celebrations in the country in a bid to express solidarity with the people of Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Kakar called on the people of his country to show solidarity with the Palestinians and display solemnity and humility at the New Year.

“Keeping in mind the seriously concerning situation in Palestine and to show solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters, there will be a strict ban by the government on holding any kind of event for New Year,” he said in a brief address.
He then said that Israeli forces “crossed all limits of violence and injustice” by claiming the lives of over 21,000 Palestinians and killing nearly 9,000 children in its counter-offensive.

“The whole Pakistani nation and the Muslim world are in a sheer state of anguish over the massacre of innocent children and genocide of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.”

He further said that his country had sent two aid packages to Palestine with the third one being prepared.

He said that Pakistan was in talks with Jordan and Egypt to ensure timely aid to Palestinians and evacuation of wounded in Gaza.

Kakar said Pakistan was making all the necessary efforts to highlight the plight of the Palestinians on various global forums and would continue to do so in future.
UN asks Israel to ‘end unlawful killings’
Shelling by Israel near a hospital in Khan Younis late on December 27 claimed the lives of 20 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The United Nations flagged the human rights situation in the West Bank and urged Israel to “end unlawful killings” against the Palestinian population in the West Bank.

A report released on Thursday (Dec 28) demanded an immediate end to the use of military weapons during law enforcement operations as well as an end to arbitrary detention and ill-treatment of Palestinians, and the lifting of discriminatory movement restrictions.

“The use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement contexts, the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and the enforcement of broad, arbitrary and discriminatory movement restrictions that affect Palestinians are extremely troubling,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.

“The intensity of the violence and repression is something that has not been seen in years.”

The report looked at the human rights situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7.