ISTANBUL: Former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Azad Jammu and Kashmir Abdul Rashid Turabi said the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India’s expansionist ambitions and the India Israel nexus posed a serious threat not only to Pakistan but also to the wider Muslim Ummah.
Addressing an international conference on the Palestine issue in Istanbul, he said the open alliance between India and Israel and the Modi government’s unilateral tilt against the Palestinians should serve as an alarm for Muslim countries. He said Kashmir and Pakistan stood firmly with the people of Palestine in every difficult moment.
Turabi said Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman had brought national leaders together and reiterated Pakistan’s long standing position. He pointed to recent million marches across the country, the unanimous parliamentary resolution and the shared stance of political and military leadership as factors strengthening Pakistan’s voice globally.
He said Pakistan had faced increased diplomatic pressure after some Arab and Gulf states recognised Israel, but public opinion and the firm stance of Jamaat-e-Islami had kept Pakistan aligned with its historical policy. He said the large public gathering of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in Lahore on November 21, 22 and 23 showed strong support for Palestine and Kashmir.
Turabi said more than fifty international delegates at the conference adopted a joint resolution calling for a common strategy under UN resolutions, recognition of Palestine as an independent state and practical support for both Palestine and Kashmir.
He said over one hundred and twenty delegates from forty five countries endorsed the Lahore Declaration, which proposed an alternative world order and outlined a plan for a just settlement of the Palestinian and Kashmir disputes.
He said the Istanbul conference, attended by more than three hundred delegates from over sixty countries, reflected the increasing global consensus on the issue. He conveyed greetings and messages of solidarity from the mujahideen of Kashmir, the Hurriyat leadership, Pakistan and the leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
