PFUJ rallies condemn Israeli atrocities

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Speakers, representing journalists bodies and civil society at rallies on a call by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ), has strongly condemned Israeli terrorism and atrocities against Palestinian and bombing on civilian residential centres and media houses and urged international community and United Nations (UN) to immediately intervene to stop Israeli aggression and terrorism on Palestinians, says a press release on Tuesday.

Protest rallies were arranged by all the union of journalists in Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, apart from Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Sukkur, Abbottabad, Rahimyar Khan, Gujranwala, Multan which were widely attended by journalists, representative of civil society lawyers people from different walks of life and termed Israeli brutalities as inhuman and act of barbarism and terrorism.

“Condemnation resolution are not enough and will not serve the purpose, Muslim world must pressurise Israel to stop violence against innocent civilians in Palestine” said PFUJ President Shehzada Zulfiqar while addressing rally in Quetta. He condemned Israeli bombing and air strikes on a building housing media outlets in Gaza. “It was shocking that even a building that was housing international and local media outlets was not spared and was demolished due to Israeli air strikes” he said.

Former president PFUJ Afzal Butt, President National Press Club Shakeel Anjum, Secretary Anwar Raza, Senior Vice President PFUJ Salim Shahid, Vice President Lala Asad Pathan, Zufiqar Ali Methu Finance Secretary PFUJ, Senior Assistant secretary General Hamid Yaseen and Khalid Khokhar, President HUJ Jai Moorani, President SUJ Saleem Sahto, Coordinator of Balochistan for HRCP, Farid Shaheani, Qamar Bhatti of PUJ urged international community and UN and human rights activists to play their role for defusing tension in Palestine and occupied Kashmir so that human miseries in these flash points could be reduced.

It’s a worst human crisis when innocent civilians are being bombed and houses are being occupied forcibly by intruders in Gaza and illegally captured settlements by Israel under the Zionist regime led by Netanyahu,” the speaker demanded.

They said there is an urgent need of meetings of OIC, Arab League and UN Security council for the purpose of pressuring Israel to end its aggression and terrorism in Palestine.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has reiterated that the Israeli state's continued brutal assault on the people of Gaza is in flagrant violation of international law and universal human rights standards.

In the last week alone, over 200 civilians—including at least 60 children—have been killed. A press statement issued by HRCP on Tuesday said, “That the Israeli offensive has targeted not only civilians but also children, health workers and the media, indicates a level of shocking impunity, which the wider international community ignores at its peril. It is simply not enough to continue to say that a state has the right to ‘defend’ itself in the face of such a gross imbalance of power, compounded by decades of violent settler colonialism and state-sponsored crimes against a beleaguered people.”