Pakistani govt removes Israel's name from statement condemning Ismail Haniyeh's killing

The Pakistani government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in a missile attack by Israel on his residence in Tehran on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued an initial statement denouncing terrorism and extrajudicial killings by Israel.

"Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings irrespective of the motives," the statement read.

"We are deeply shocked by the timing of this reckless act, coinciding with the inauguration of the President of Iran, an event attended by several foreign dignitaries, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan," the statement read," said the ministry.

Pakistan’s @ForeignOfficePk backtracks, quietly changes its statement on the condemnation of Ismail Haniyeh’s killing — Expunges the word ‘Israel’, replaces Israeli adventurism to just adventurism — Image 1, New changed statement — Image 2, Previous statement. https://t.co/0ochwX78JW pic.twitter.com/76hZzqCAGk

— Anas Mallick (@AnasMallick) July 31, 2024

MoFA, in the statement, further said that Pakistan views with serious concern the growing "Israeli adventurism in the region".

"Its latest acts constitute a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region and undermine efforts for peace.

However, in another notification, the MoFA removed the mention of Israel, which was initially implicated in the attack. 

The removal of Israel's name from the statement has raised questions about the government's stance on the issue.

Reacting to the incident, the former ruling party, PTI, lashed out at PML-N and PPP for omitting Israel's name.

"The plight of Palestinian men, women, and children must remain a priority as they are constantly attacked by the genocidal Israeli occupation forces," Imran Khan's party wrote in a post.

It is incredibly shameful that PMLN and PPP's puppet governments omitted Israel from their statement condemning Ismail Haniyeh's death.

The plight of Palestinian men, women, and children must remain a priority as they are constantly attacked by the genocidal Israeli occupation… pic.twitter.com/Yw0tf6ITHH

— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 31, 2024

"PTI strongly urge[s] the puppet government to stand with Palestine in line with Pakistan's people's will," it added.

However, the government has not issued any clarification regarding the matter.

Haniyeh was killed in a missile attack on his residence in Tehran in the wee hours of Wednesday, along with one of his bodyguards, Iranian state media said.

The Revolutionary Guards stated that the cause of the attack is under investigation and will be announced soon.

"Early this morning, the residence of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was struck, resulting in his and one of his bodyguards' martyrdom. The cause is under investigation and will be announced soon," a statement issued by the IRGC read.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.