ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has said the Muslim world has remained a theatre of wars, violence and worries and Muslim communities across the globe are passing through a saga of pain and prosecution.

“War in Syria, fighting in Yemen, terrorist surge in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the bleeding wounds of the Palestinians, Kashmiris and Rohingiya Muslims are a constant reminder for us. In recent years the ummah has become divided and discarded more than ever and that has not only harmed peace in our respective countries but also hampered the growth and development of our people,” Mr Sadiq said while speaking at the 13th meeting of the General Assembly of Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries held in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday.

He expressed the hope that this meeting would bring the Muslim ummah close and play a role for peace and prosperity.

“Our people languish in hunger, disease, illiteracy and lack of opportunities to a better future despite owning the riches of the world. Illiteracy is the main reason that our people are discriminated and forced to take a back seat in the global affairs,” he regretted.

According to an official statement issued in Islamabad, Mr Sadiq said that despite braving the global wave of terrorism and sacrificing the maximum number of precious lives, “we are being blamed for this menace”, adding that the world had failed to appreciate the Muslims who were instrumental in the defeat of Al Qaeda and the militant Islamic State group and were being asked to “do more”.

He said the continued spate of tweets by President Donald Trump attacking religions and coloured nations, equating Islam with terrorism and branding the poor African and Caribbean nations as “shithole states” was not only demeaning but also not befitting to the stature of the president of the United States.

“The Pakistan delegation strongly denounces this mindset,” he said, adding that the malicious effort to alter the status of the holy city of Jerusalem was not only a move to violate the international law and the related UN resolutions, but also a deliberate attempt to undermine the peace efforts in the Middle East.

Speaker Sadiq lamented that the firing by Indian troops along the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in loss of precious lives and property on Pakistan’s side, were deliberate attempt to divert global attention from gross human rights violations in India-held Kashmir. He said Pakistan had persistently called for an end to this madness and advocated a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2018