PAKISTAN has always maintained a principled foreign policy stance on the Palestine-Israel issue, and that has been duly appreciated by relevant circles around the globe. Practically, this is the time that Pakistan, and certainly other Muslim countries, would be tested by the manner of response to Israeli atrocities against the innocent Palestinians.

By any yardstick, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have crossed all limits set by international norms and laws by brutally murdering civilians, including women and children. Everyone knows that Israel is basically bent upon materia-lising its materialistic goal of taking over the Gaza Strip.

In this regard, the Islamic world is bound to look towards Pakistan, being the nuclear power, because of the reputation the armed forces have earned over the years.

The international war criminal, Israel, is enjoying the unflinching support of the United States and others in the West. The support is to the extent that an Israeli minister has even talked about using a nuclear bomb on Gaza.

As for policy options of the Muslim countries, these are testing times. So far, the Islamic world has failed to

move collectively in the right direction. Pakistan, becasue of having superior military capability, has to play an active role in the emerging situation.

Abdul Fatah Soomro
Naudero

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2023