Ex-AJK PM urges global action against Israeli aggression in Gaza

Sardar Tanveer calls for international intervention to halt Israeli atrocities

RAWALPINDI:

Former Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) prime minister and regional president of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, has called upon the Muslim Ummah and “justice-loving” Western nations to take decisive action to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza before it escalates further.

He also asked the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to “give a clear message to the Western world that if the Muslim states have to stay in the United Nations, the genocide and persecution of Muslims in different parts of the world must be brought to end with practical steps rather than mere lip service.”

Addressing a gathering at the conclusion of a large vehicular rally on Wednesday, which paraded through the bustling Murree road in Rawalpindi before concluding outside the National Press Club in Islamabad, Ilyas expressed deep concern over the continuous attacks on innocent Palestinians by the Israeli government.

The rally, organized by the AJK chapter of IPP, drew the participation of thousands of party workers carrying flags of Palestine, Pakistan, and Azad Kashmir, while chanting pro-Palestine and anti-Israel slogans.

During his address, Ilyas drew parallels between the ongoing Israeli brutalities against Palestinian Muslims and Indian actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying “The ongoing Israeli brutalities against the Palestinian Muslims and Indian brutalities against the Kashmiris have same pattern, designed to eliminate and drive them out of their respective territories.”

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He said the national parties of Pakistan should come out of the election cycle and raise their voice for the oppressed Palestinians at every forum. "Islam is a religion of peace and security, but ironically, Muslims are being pushed to the wall in most parts of the world," he said, highlighting the need for a collective effort against Israeli and Indian brutalities. Ilyas reminded the world that the first recorded suicide attack was carried out by a Jewish woman.

Expressing concerns that there were nefarious designs to defame Islam and Muslims, Ilyas stressed, "It is the demand of our faith to challenge Israeli and Indian brutalities at all levels. We will knock at every door that can help both the Palestinians and the Kashmiris."

Prominent figures at the rally included AJK Legislative Assembly member Ali Shan Soni, AJK Council member Sardar Adnan Siab, and former advisers to AJK PM Sardar Imtiaz Shaheen and Sardar Iftikhar Rasheed.