Pakistan has reiterated its firm stance to support right to self-determination and statehood of the Palestinian people, as the United Nations (UN) marked the annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on Sunday.

In a message on the occasion, Ambassador Munir Akram said, “Our support remains unwavering.”

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed each year on Nov 29. Established in 1977, it marks the day in 1947 when the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution partitioning Palestine into an Arab State and a Jewish State.

“It is travesty of justice that only the Jewish state came into being and the Palestinian people were condemned to immeasurable misery, suffering and grief – by making them stateless in their own land,” the Pakistani envoy said.

Pakistan, he pointed out, has always remained a staunch supporter of Palestinian people.

“Supporting Palestinian right to self-determination and calling for an early creation of a viable, contiguous, independent and sovereign Palestinian state, based on internationally agreed parameters – pre-1967 borders and Al- Quds Al Sharif as its capital – has remained a cardinal pillar of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” Ambassador Akram said.

“We will continue to impress upon the world that creation of a Palestinian state – on the grounds acceptable to the Palestinian people – remains the only abiding guarantee for peace in the Middle East and for the wider world.”

Every year, he said, Pakistan tables a resolution in the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on ‘universal realization of right of peoples to self-determination.

“Through this, and other initiatives, we show our resolve of fighting for all oppressed people who are waging legitimate struggles to earn their freedom.”