Malik asks UN, world HR bodies to end silence on Palestine

ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister and Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) Senator Abdul Rehman Malik has strongly condemned the Israeli forces attack on worshippers in Al Aqsa mosque on Friday and urged the United Nations (UN) and international human rights bodies to break silence on Palestine and Kashmir.

“The brutal attack by Israeli forces against unarmed peaceful worshippers is against all humanitarian norms and human rights laws,” he said while addressing a webinar as keynotes speaker on the Palestine issue which was organised by Ambassador Dr Shaid Amin and was attended by a large number of speakers.

The speakers included parliamentarians, diplomats and human rights activists from across the globe. From the forum, Rehman Malik appealed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to dispatch COVID vaccines to people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K) on urgent basis as people there are living under cruel curfew in the most difficult time of coronavirus pandemic without free access to medicine and hospitals. He suggested that activists, diplomats and parliamentarians attending the conference should use their influence to visit the IIOJ&K to observe the human rights violations and deliver medicines and vaccines to people there.

The participants of the webinar seconded his suggestion and resolved that they would leave no stone unturned to arrange a visit to the IIOJ&K. They also agreed on arranging a monthly seminar on the issue of Kashmir and Palestine.

Rehman Malik expressed grave concerns on the condition of illegally detained Hurriyat leaders and activists in various Indian jails. He said that the life of Kashmiri detainees are in dangers due to increase in COVID-19 pandemic. He demanded their immediate release and urged UN to play its role to release Kashmiri leaders.

He also condemned the highly discriminatory resolution passed by European Union Parliament against Pakistan and urged the president EU Parliament to withdraw it. He demanded a resolution against India in EU Parliament for state sponsored crimes against humanity and minorities.