Nation pays tribute to slain Hamas leader

ISLAMABAD:

The country on Friday observed a day of mourning as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar after his assassination in Tehran, an attack blamed on Israel that has heightened regional tensions as the Gaza war dragged on.

People across the country offered his funeral prayers in absentia and vowed to carry forward his mission.

The National Assembly resonated with unanimous fervour extending sincere sympathies and solidarity to the Palestinians' resistance against Israeli occupation and the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh.

The lower house of parliament during the second meeting of the eighth session passed a resolution to express complete solidarity with the Palestinian brethren and extended condolences to the bereaved family of the martyr Ismail Haniyeh, in complete agreement of the opposition and the treasury benches.

"This house decides that Pakistan will continue to supply aid to Palestine and take effective measures for medical assistance to the oppressed Palestinian brothers and sisters, including medical treatment in Pakistan," the resolution said.

The house resolved that Palestine medical students would be given admission in Pakistan's medical colleges on gratis basis to complete their education.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, members of the federal cabinet and the parliamentarians on Friday offered the funeral prayer in absentia of Ismail Haniyeh.

The funeral prayers were also held across the country as part of the government's decision made on Thursday which also included the observance of a day of mourning.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that the lava of public anger would get out of control if the Zionist state was not held accountable.

"It will risk the annihilation of world's peace and development," the prime minister warned.

The prime minister, who earlier also highlighted the issue in the cabinet meeting, said the whole Muslim world including the Pakistani nation was grieved over Ismail Haniyeh's killing.

Thanking the members from both sides of the aisle for evolving a consensus on the resolution, he said the parliament's voice would resonate the world over to shock the enemies of Pakistan and strengthen its friends.

He highlighted that the Palestinian people were suffering the worst bloodshed by the Zionist state for the last nine months which thus far had killed around 40,000 people, including thousands of women and children.

"The cities have turned into cemeteries. The cries have taken over the joys and smiles of the playing children. Palestine is giving a deserted look," the PM said and questioned the inaction and helplessness of the world to end the Israeli oppression.

He said not only the Muslims rather every peace-loving human being, regardless of faith or creed, was questioning the non-implementation of the international laws and human right charters for which the world bodies including the United Nations were created.

"This is a question by an infant who was killed moments after his birth. This is a question by a mother, now in paradise, whose baby was aborted after she was killed. This is a question by a child awaiting his mother in the hospital… Finally, the answer has to be given," he remarked.

The PM also recalled the recent killing of Ismail Haniyeh's three sons and four grandchildren and said the nation having rendered such huge sacrifices could not be defeated.

Taking to the floor during the debate on the resolution, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui vehemently condemned the killing of the Hamas leader.

Siddiqui called for stock taking of the role of OIC in response to the months' long conflict going in Gaza.

The minister demanded of the country and the Muslim ummah to take steps beyond resolutions to ensure peace and security of innocent Palestinians.

Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Engineer Amir Muqam said the Pakistani nation's sentiments and sympathies were with the people of Palestine.

He urged all the parliamentary parties to participate in the walk on Youm-e-Istehsaal-e-Kashmir on August 5th from Radio Pakistan building till D-Chowk to condemn Indian oppression and state-sponsored terrorism in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) also condemned the high-profile murder of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) President Ijaz-ul-Haq said the attack on Haniyeh was against the sovereignty of the state of Iran.

Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkNAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai said Pakistan should file case against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as the murderer of humanity.

The National Assembly session was adjourned to meet again on Monday on August 5 at 11.30am.