https://arab.news/pr8j4
- 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.