By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday issued a sharp rebuke of Israel’s military strikes on Iran, labeling them “unjustified and illegitimate” and a breach of international law and a peril to regional stability, as the Middle East braced for further escalation following Israel’s assault on Iranian nuclear and military targets.
Israel launched widespread strikes across Iran on Friday, hitting nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military commanders in what it described as the opening salvo of a sustained campaign to thwart Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iranian media reported explosions at the country’s primary uranium enrichment site in Natanz, while the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps confirmed the death of its top commander, Hossein Salami, in an attack on its Tehran headquarters. State media also reported that several children were killed in a strike on a residential area of the capital. Israel, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency, anticipating retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Iran.
The Foreign Office swiftly condemned the strikes, asserting that they “violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran” and “clearly contravened the UN Charter and fundamental principles of international law.”
“The international community and the United Nations bear responsibility to uphold international law, stop this aggression immediately and hold the aggressor accountable for its actions,” it said. “Iran has the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, conveying his “deepest” sympathies to the Iranian people for the loss of lives, denounced the “unprovoked attack” by Israel. “This grave and highly irresponsible act is deeply alarming and risks further de-stabilising an already volatile region,” Sharif said in a statement, pressing the international community and the United Nations to act swiftly to avert additional escalation that could threaten peace on a regional and global scale.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar echoed called the strikes a “brazen violation of Iran’s sovereignty” that “has shaken the foundations of international law as well as the conscience of humanity.”
“This abhorrent action has shaken foundations of international law as well as conscience of humanity; and gravely undermines regional stability & int’l security,” Dar wrote on X. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the government and people of Iran.”
The outrage extended to the parliament, where both the Senate and the National Assembly unanimously passed resolutions decrying Israel’s actions. In the Senate, a resolution tabled by Dar labeled the strikes a “blatant violation of fundamental principles of the United Nations and all international norms,” warning that they had placed “peace and security in the region and beyond in grave danger.”
The resolution condemned Israel’s “heinous crimes against the Muslim Ummah,” particularly in Palestine and Iran, and expressed dismay at the Muslim world’s inaction amid what it called a genocide in Gaza over the past two years, now spilling over into another sovereign Muslim state.
In the National Assembly, a resolution moved by Pakistan Peoples Party’s lawmaker Syed Naveed Qamar similarly branded the strikes a “serious violation of the sovereignty and integrity of a United Nations Member state” and a clear breach of international law.
The House cautioned that Israel’s “continued blatant acts of aggression” had plunged the Middle East—and the world—into “serious dangers,” placing full responsibility for the consequences on Israel. It reaffirmed Iran’s right to self-defense and called for urgent meetings of the UN Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to condemn the aggression and halt it immediately.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office issued an advisory urging citizens, particularly Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims, or Zaireen, who travel to sacred sites in Iran and Iraq, to reconsider their plans due to heightened security risks following the Israeli strikes.
The advisory highlighted destinations such as Mashhad, Qom, Najaf, and Karbala, noting the “evolving security situation in the region.”
“In view of the evolving security situation in the region, the Zaireen from Pakistan are advised to reconsider their travel plans to Iran and Iraq,” the foreign office said in a brief statement issued in Islamabad.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, estimated that around 5,000 Pakistani pilgrims are currently in Iran. “Our embassy in Tehran and consulates remain available to assist,” the official said, adding that authorities are monitoring developments closely, though no evacuation plans have been announced.
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