ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Monday unequivocally condemned the recent storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers, accompanied by settler groups and shielded by Israeli police.
“This sacrilege against one of Islam’s holiest sites is not only an affront to the faith of over a billion Muslims, but also a direct assault on international law and the collective conscience of humanity,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on his X timeline.
Pakistan unequivocally condemns, the recent act of storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers, accompanied by settler groups and shielded by Israeli police.
This sacrilege against one of Islam’s holiest sites is not only an affront to Muslims worldwide but also a…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 4, 2025
He said that such systematic provocations by the occupying power, coupled with reckless calls for annexation, imperil the prospects for peace.
The prime minister said that Israel’s shameless actions were deliberately inflaming tensions in Palestine and the wider region, pushing the Middle East closer to further instability and conflict.
“Pakistan reiterates its urgent call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to all acts of aggression, and the revival of a credible peace process leading to an independent and viable State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, under international law and relevant UN resolutions,” Prime Minister Shehbaz added.
Separately, Islamabad has strongly condemned the provocative and deeply offensive desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque by thousands of Israeli settlers, including senior ministers, officials, and Knesset members, under the protection of Israeli occupying forces.
In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the presence and statements of senior Israeli officials, and the repugnant declaration that “the Temple Mount is ours,” are a dangerous and deliberate attempt to provoke religious sentiments across the world, escalate tensions, and alter the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He said Israel’s expansionist attempts are a deliberate effort to destabilize the region and sabotage any meaningful path to peace. These provocations risk igniting a catastrophic spiral of violence across the region.
The spokesperson emphasized that the world must not remain silent in the face of such systemic, illegal, inhumane, and unlawful aggression.
Such actions constitute a blatant violation of international human rights and humanitarian laws, the UN Charter, as well as various UN and OIC resolutions.
He urged the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take immediate and concrete steps to hold Israel accountable for its illegal actions and to protect the religious sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the rights of the Palestinian people, in particular the right to self-determination.
The spokesperson reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the creation of a sovereign, independent, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Earlier, Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza, and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, sparking condemnation from regional powers.
Ben-Gvir was among approximately 1,250 individuals who prayed at the site under Israeli military protection.
The compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, holds deep religious significance—being the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam.
It remains under Jordanian custodianship, and a longstanding agreement permits Jewish visits but prohibits prayer.
