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Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar talks to anchors and journalists in a meeting held at the PM House in Islamabad on August 31, 2023. — PIDCaretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq on Monday said that the resolution of the Palestine issue as per their aspirations was inevitable for peace in the Middle East as Israel was currently escalating measures against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to a "total blockade".
Fears of ground invasion are growing as Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip, cutting off the water supply to the area, besides airstrikes targeting housing areas and public buildings.
As many as 570 Palestinians have been martyred in aerial bombing by Israeli jets on the residential areas in the besieged Gaza Strip while the death toll from Saturday's surprise large-scale attack by Hamas surged to around 1,000 on the Israeli side, claimed Israel's foreign ministry.
Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera reported that Hamas' Qassam Brigades had said they would start executing Israeli civilian hostages and broadcast the execution live if Israel dropped another bomb on civilian residential areas without any prior warning.
In an interview on PTV today (Monday), PM Kakar made it clear that Pakistan has a very clear stance on the Palestine issue and supports a two-state solution as per the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
He said resolution of this issue is inevitable for peace in the Middle East region.
The premier said Israel continues to deny the two-state solution, which in turn, is further complicating the prevailing situation.
To another question, PM Kakar said misinformation under the guise of freedom of expression is highly condemnable.
Economic revival plan
Responding to another question, he emphasised the need for continuity of policies and an economic revival plan for the stability of the country and expressed hope that political parties would reach a consensus in this regard.
He further said that Pakistan is a success story in terms of countering terrorism as terrorists could never capture even an inch of Pakistan’s soil.
The premier said the country's counter-insurgency policies have been very successful and the security forces with unflinching resolve will extirpate the menace of terrorism.
PM Kakar underscored that civilian institutions should be strengthened just like the country's military institutions.
Moving on to the upcoming general elections, the premier said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has the mandate to announce the date for elections, adding that as per its constitutional commitment, the caretaker government will assist the ECP in holding free, fair, and impartial elections.
The caretaker government would take measures to improve service delivery mechanisms and set a model for the elected governments, he vowed.
