Islamabad: In a statement issued on X, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that this sacrilege against one of Islam's holiest sites is not only an affront to Muslims worldwide but also a direct assault on international law and the collective conscience of humanity.

He said that such systematic provocations by the occupying power, coupled with reckless calls for annexation, imperils the prospects for peace.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that Israel's shameless actions are deliberately inflaming tensions in Palestine and the wider region, pushing the Middle East closer to further instability and conflict.

He said that 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, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.