ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday emphasized that Pakistan should immediately join South Africa in the genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which is set to hold its first hearing on Thursday (today) in The Hague.
The seminar, titled, “The US policies on Palestine and Kashmir,” organized by the Area Study Center, Quaid-i-Azam University, with speakers including diplomats, government officials, politicians and academics who strongly criticized the double standards of the Western countries, particularly the United States for their policies on both the outstanding issues.
Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Palestinian Embassy Nadir K Alturk, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Ambassador Naila Chohan (retd), Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Mushaal Hussain Mullick, Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi (retd), Kashmiri right activist Abdul Hameed Lone, Palestinian journalist Jalal Al-Farah, were among the speakers who addressed the seminar.
In his address, the Iranian envoy said that the Zionist regime is violating all the international laws and the UNSC resolutions with the support of the Western powers, and is continuing the Palestinian genocide.
“The US policy on the issue of Palestine and the ongoing genocide by the Israeli occupation regime has badly exposed Washington’s double standards,” Ambassador Moghaddam said, adding that if the Zionist regime is not stopped, it has a plan for the “Greater Israel” which included the entire Palestine, Jordon, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
He said that Iran had not supported the UNSC resolution of the two-state solution which was aimed at establishing the occupation state of Israel, and the Zionist regime has also not accepted it for the reason that it has some other plans for the Middle East.
The Iranian envoy also paid tribute to Hamas, saying that they are defending their land against the occupation force of the Zionist regime.
The Deputy Chief of Mission of the Palestinian Embassy Nadir K Alturk lashed out at the US for providing weapons and other financial support to Israel, adding that with this Washington is helping the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians.
At the UNSC, he added that the US continued to use the veto power to support the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.
“The US support to Israel is not new and even President Joe Biden took the risk to visit Israel in a show of solidarity and support soon after the Tufan Al-Aqsa in October last year,” he added.
The Palestinian diplomat also criticized the “double standards” of the Western democracies and their leaders and urged the people of these countries to speak up against their governments who are supporting the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people.
Ambassador Naila Chohan (retd) said that both the occupation states – India and Israel – have the same agenda to continue their illegal occupations, India in Kashmir and the Zionist regime in Palestine.
She pointed out that both India and Israel have defence agreements and cooperation, aimed at oppressing the Muslims through illegal occupations.
As far as the US policy on Kashmir is concerned, she said that Washington has a position that the two countries should resolve the issue bilaterally, adding that the US has always looked into the Jammu
and Kashmir issue on strategic grounds.
Referring to the ongoing Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people, she said that Israel keeps on refusing and continues to violate all international laws. About South Africa’s move of taking Israel to the ICJ, she said that it was a good move, but there are judges within the ICJ who are pro-Israel.
On South Africa’s move of taking Israel to the ICJ, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed lauded the decision and hoped that the ICJ would look into the case on merit and held the Zionist regime accountable for the ongoing genocide in Gaza and beyond.
He said that Pakistan should immediately join South Africa along with Malaysia and Turkey to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity and violation of all international laws.
On the same pattern, he added that Pakistan should also take the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to ICJ on Kashmir and its extremist Hindutva ideology.
Furthermore, he suggested that the navies of Pakistan, Turkiye, and Indonesia should establish a humanitarian corridor for Gaza.
According to him, Pakistan’s policies on Kashmir and Palestine cannot be changed by any individual, adding that it is the policy of the state of Pakistan and its people. He said that these policies on Kashmir and Palestine were made well before the creation of Pakistan by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Mushaal Hussain Mullick was of the opinion that there is a need to synchronize the similarities between the issues of Kashmir and Palestinian, adding that a joint strategy should be made to cope with these illegal occupations.
“Kashmiris are facing the Hindutva ideology and Palestinians, Zionism,” she said, adding that peace in the world can only be restored if these two issues are resolved.
She said that the world order is collapsing and it is high time to wake up, as a new phenomenon has emerged following the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people where genocide will not be punished internationally.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024