Pakistan PM: No Peace in World Without Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza

“The world will not be in peace unless there is permanent peace in Gaza,” Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday. The Pakistani premier was addressing a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Sharif said conflicts around the world, including the one that has been raging in Gaza, have contributed significantly to global inflation.

The inflation, he said, was “breaking the back of developing countries.”

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan released a joint statement, calling on the international community to pressure Israel to halt the aggression.

The statement was made after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hosted Sharif in the holy city of Mecca on April 7.

Both parties called for international efforts “to halt Israeli military operations in Gaza, mitigate humanitarian impact and…pressure Israel to cease hostilities, adhere to international law, and facilitate unhindered humanitarian aid access to Gaza.”

The two leaders also called for “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state” with the Tel Aviv-occupied East al-Quds in the West Bank as its capital.

Gaza has been enduring the war since October last year.

At least 34,488 people have been killed and 77,643 others wounded in the brutal military onslaught that was launched following the al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged by Gaza’s Resistance groups.