The Senate on Wednesday condemned in strongest possible terms Israeli's naked aggression against Lebanon and billed the brutal killing of civilians in Lebanon and Palestine as a crime against humanity, wantonly violating international law and norms.
The Upper House of the parliament assailed the world community, particularly the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Conference for their failure to force an immediate cease-fire. It expressed complete solidarity with the people of Lebanon and Palestine in the face of Israeli aggression.
"The Senate expresses its shock and horror on continued use of indiscriminate military and air force by Israel against civilians, inflicting death and injuries on infants, children, women and men, and in particular on the massacre of Qana where 60 persons including disabled and innocent kids were killed," conveyed the resolution, read out by Leader House of the House Wasim Sajjad.
The resolution was passed unanimously after 'maghrib' prayer break, as the House met for its first sitting of the monsoon session with an hour delay.
The Senate expressed its profound disappointment on abysmal failure of the UN Council to condemn the Israeli aggression and to call for immediate cease-fire.
During the question hour, State Minister for Defence Khalid Lund faced drubbing by the opposition senators for not coming prepared to answer questions about his ministry, urging the Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro to pass strictures against ministers who attend the proceedings without preparation.
"The Senate recalls that the deliberate targeting of civilians is a violation of the Geneva Convention, the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, the Hague Regulations, Geneva Convention Protocol-I and the charter of the United Nations," the resolution noted.
It called upon the OIC to overcome its inertia and formulate a collective and effective political and humanitarian response to the simmering crisis.
The House warned that if the world community failed to stop these atrocities immediately, they would be violating human rights and all norms of international behaviour and be responsible for any escalation of atrocities.
It emphasised that the OIC, UN and the international community should arrange an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of Israel forces and to strive for an early, just and comprehensive solution to the Middle East conflict in line with the UN resolutions.
Later, some of the movers of the resolution from both sides of the aisle, made brief speeches, blaming the United States, Britain and Germany for the pogrom of Muslims in the Middle East by supporting Israel, blocking a condemnation resolution at the United Nations Security Council against Israel and wasting no time in passing a resolution against Iran.
Senators Professor Khurshid Ahmed, Wasim Sajjad, Raza Rabbani, Jan M Jamali, Maulana Gul Naseeb, Nisar Memon, Asfandyar Wali, Kamil Ali Agha, Ishaq Dar, Shujaul Mulk, Abdul Rahim Mandokhail and Hamidullah jan Afridi were the movers.
They said that this aggression have made it very clear that the small and developing countries should not pin hopes in the UN as it had become a redundant entity and captive of some Western nations.
Likewise, the Israeli attack also showed that how much the Muslim governments were 'off tuned' about the sentiments and feelings of their peoples.
The senators contended that it also demonstrated that no matter how powerful and aggressor the opponent could be, with resolute and determination, it could be challenged, as the Vietnamese had done against US aggressors.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar wrapped up the brief debate on the issue and apprised the measures Pakistan had so far taken, including taking an initiative to convene OIC emergency meeting and rushing relief supplies to Lebanon.
Earlier, the opposition senators including Asfandyar Wali and Raza Rabbani castigated the government for not doing enough to save heavy loss of lives and property in NWFP, Punjab and elsewhere.
They also contended that the civic amenities' infrastructure in Karachi in tatters and power outages had further added to miseries of the people.
State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kamil Ali Agha defended the government and said that prompt measures were taken to provide relief to the flash flood victims and his allegation that NWFP government failed to deliver, prompted some agitation from MMA senators.
Ports and Shipping Minister Senator Babar Ghauri, who along with three other ministers had resigned, did not turn up and only two senators, belonging to MQM were present in the House.
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