ISLAMABAD: Showing complete unity in the Senate on Monday, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for moving the relevant courts for war crimes against Israeli and Indian premiers for the genocide of Palestinians and Kashmiris respectively and urged the world community to take notice of the same.
The senators proposed rushing medical and relief supplies to Gaza and advocated lifting of its siege by Israel and some came hard on those Muslim countries which have diplomatic and trade relations with Tel Aviv and asked them to end these relations, if they could not support Palestinians otherwise.
It was the start of the 311th session and Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani presided over the lengthy proceedings of the opening day. PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman and some other legislators felt the need for the prime minister’s presence in the House in view of the critical importance of the matter and sending out a strong message of solidarity at this juncture.
PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, during his speech, praised Prime Minister Imran Khan and said he adopted the stance on Palestine, which was the Quaid-i-Azam’s. However, he opposed giving air and ground access to US forces in Afghanistan.
The treasury members showered praise on Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for launching what they called successful diplomatic efforts to highlight the recent killings of innocent Palestinians and the bombardment of its forces on the buildings and media houses and their role in the ceasefire.
In his opening speech of the debate on Israel’s systematic assault against Palestinian worshippers in Harm-al-Sharif (Masjid Al-Aqsa) during the holy month of Ramadan, Leader of Opposition Yousaf Raza Gilani said they would continue their moral and diplomatic support for the Palestinians who have been facing atrocities since 1948.
He cautioned the issue had negative effects on Central Asia and the whole Islamic world, whereas Israel had always used force to crush Palestinians but they always failed to force fulfillment of their objectives. “The attacks on innocent people, worship places and hospitals are not acceptable in any society, as these are against all norms of humanity and human rights and this terrorism and destruction must stop,” he asserted.
Referring to Israel’s claim that it was taking such steps in self-defence, he said such measures violated the definition of the UN about self-defence and UN resolutions and insisted that dialogue was the only way forward for the solution to the conflicts as wars were not always solutions to the problem.
He said that similarly India had been committing atrocities against the people of Kashmir for the last 74 years. He said dialogue was the only option to settle core issues between India and Pakistan including Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachin. Gilani said the international community must think about the two-state solution to end the Palestine conflict and the Western and the international community should play a neutral role to bring the two sides to the negotiation table and illegal settlements must be halted.
Leader of the House Dr Waseem Shahzad said the Palestine conflict was among few issues on which not only Pakistanis but also political parties and its intelligentsia were united, as this was a question for the conscience of the world that Israel while using the force has made 50,000 Palestinians homeless in a few days.
He said women and children had been subjected to atrocities there and similarly, brutalities were being witnessed in Kashmir. He regretted that UN resolutions were not being implemented to resolve both the issues while international laws were being violated with impunity. He said Kashmiris and Palestinians both have had a similar demand of right to self-determination. He appreciated the role of PM Imran Khan for launching successful diplomatic efforts after the recent crisis of Palestine emerged. “
