KARACHI: US, allies committing war crimes: seminar
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, March 23: The US government and its allies are committing war crimes in Iraq and President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair should be tried in the International Court of Justice.
If the war prolonged, Iraq will become another Vietnam for the Americans.
This was the consensus of a seminar — The US imperialism and the Muslim ummah: what is the way out — organized by Jamaat-i-Islami here on Saturday night.
Senator Ghafoor Ahmad, the deputy chief of the party, in his presidential remarks said the US has emerged as an international terrorist with its ambition to rule the whole world. However, the changing direction of events indicated that the US would have to pay a heavy price for its aggression against Iraq, he added.
“Six billion people of the world have turned against the US and American citizens are deprived of free movement in the world.”
He said that the invasion of Iraq by three world powers was an attack on humanity, freedom, fundamental rights and security and sovereignty of smaller countries.
“The US, which claims to be a civilised and democratic nation, has trampled all international laws and principles and resorted to carpet bombing of the civilians population in Iraq, where collapsing buildings are presenting the scene of an inferno.”
But thank God despite this situation, the call “God is great” is still being heard from Baghdad mosques.
Prof Ghafoor said the situation was changing fast as even in Turkey and Egypt people are holding protest rallies against the US, which indicates that Muslims in the world are opposed to the policies of their rulers and are with the people of Iraq.
Allama Raza-ul-Mustafa said that the only way out for the Muslims was to have unity in their ranks. He suggested that a delegation of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal should visit the Muslim countries.
Prof Shamim Akhtar said that the US had already been defeated on the diplomatic front as it had run away from the UN Security Council not only fearing a veto against its resolution but also knowing that it could not muster enough support.
In Iraq there would surely be resistance from the people and if the war prolonged, there is the possibility that the US would have to face another defeat like that in Vietnam.
He said after Afghanistan the US was using such types of weapons in Iraq which had been declared banned and illegal under the Geneva Convention. He said the US has surpassed the gravity of war crimes of the Nazi Germany.
Brig (retd) Abdul Rehman Siddiqui stressed the need for unity among the Ummah which stands divided today. He said there was also the need to identify the enemy and make preparations to meet the challenges.
Sajjad Mir said the US was claiming that it would bring democracy to Iraq but ignoring the fact that democratic values always ushered from within a country.
Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui said that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was talking about reconstruction of Iraq without first taking any measure to stop the war. He said the US should be asked why it has not been so active for implementation of other UN resolutions.
