ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has reiterated that the government and people of Pakistan unequivocally condemn the continued aggression and atrocities committed by Israeli occupying forces in Gaza.

The international community must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete, coordinated actions to ensure accountability and justice. He said that the issue of Palestine continues to haunt the global conscience. Pakistan stands with the people of Palestine in their just and noble struggle.

This support is not episodic — it is principled, historic, and central to our foreign policy. In a message received here on Friday, the national assembly speaker expressed these views while addressing the Meeting of Parliamentary Group in Solidarity with Palestine held in Istanbul, Turkiye.

He also urged the conscience of the international community and the collective strength of the Muslim Ummah to act — and to act now. Muslim countries possess the resources, public sentiment, and moral standing. He added, “What is needed now is unity. Unity is our greatest strength. If we stand together with resolve, our collective voice can no longer be ignored.”

He added, “This is not merely a political dispute, nor is it confined to religious or cultural affiliations. At its core, it is a crisis of humanity — a modern-day genocide that poses a grave moral dilemma for the civilised world”.

While expressing solidarity with people of Palestine, he said that for over seven decades, the people of Palestine have been denied their inalienable right to self-determination — a right enshrined in countless United Nations resolutions.

He lamented that the international community has largely failed to stop the oppression, as Palestinians continue to suffer under a brutal and illegal occupation. He said that Pakistan’s stance on Palestine is rooted in national legacy. Soon after independence, Pakistan opposed the UN partition plan and the creation of the state of Israel.

“Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah vocally championed Palestinian rights, asserting that the land rightfully belonged to its indigenous people. His decision not to recognize Israel has been upheld by every successive government to date,” he said.

While denouncing Israel’s latest military offensive, including the illegal seizure of the Morag Corridor and the annexation of Palestinian land under the guise of “security corridors,” represents a blatant violation of international law. “These actions are part of a calculated strategy to displace Palestinians and alter regional demographics,” he said.

He added, “Among the most heinous acts is the deliberate bombing of a UN-run clinic in Jabalia, which sheltered over 700 displaced civilians. This, alongside the broader campaign to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, amounts to war crimes and demands urgent international accountability.”

He also underscored that South Africa’s initiation of legal proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging violations of the Genocide Convention, marks another critical step in international law. The ICJ has emphasised that Israel must end its unlawful occupation, halt settlement activities, evacuate settlers, and offer reparations for the destruction caused.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has strongly denounced that as of October 7, 2024, Israel’s military campaign had killed over 42,000 Palestinians — including 13,300 children — and injured more than 97,000. Many of these attacks were deliberate or indiscriminate, wiping out entire multigenerational families. These are not mere numbers — they represent a moral failure of our time.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2025