Distinguished Guests, Ladies, and Gentlemen, Assalam-o-Alaykum and Good Morning to you all!
I warmly welcome you all in today’s seminar, titled “Palestine and Kashmir Crises: Call for Justice,” being organized by MUSLIM Institute and the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir.
Before I begin my remarks, I just want to express my gratitude to:
His Excellency Sardar Masood Ahmad Khan, President Azad Jammu & Kashmir,
Honourable Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Secretary General Mu’tamar al-Al Islami,
His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Rabaie, Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan,
His Excellency Mr. Ali Fikrat Oglu Alizada, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan,
His Excellency Mr. Mthuthuzeli Madikiza, High Commissioner of South Africa to Pakistan,
His Excellency Mr. Ali Fikrat Oglu Alizada, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan,
His Excellency Dr. Mazen Obeid, Ambassador of Syria to Pakistan,
Honourable Lord Nazir Ahmad, Former Member, House of Lords, UK,
Honourable Mr. Sikandar Siddique, Member Parliament of Denmark,
For sparing their precious time for today’s timely seminar.
I am also extremely thankful to Mr. Shehryar Afridi –Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir – for jointly organizing this event with MUSLIM Institute.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to express my appreciation for the young and energetic soul we know as Mr. Khurram Ellahi for his efforts in making this seminar happen. And it would also not be fair to not mention the efforts of MUSLIM Institute’s PR Associate, Mr. Asif Tanveer Awan, for working with Mr. Khurram Ellahi to make this timely event possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
We are gathered here today to ‘call for justice,’ as the seminar’s title points out. ‘Justice’ is exactly what has been missing since the inception of both these conflicts many decades ago. Past few weeks, like many times over the years, have been simply unreal to watch and witness. Innocent civilians and children being inhumanely attacked, bombed, and killed. One of our holiest sites Al-Quds being attacked, in the holy month of Ramadan no less.
Despite the worst atrocities committed by the Israelis and the BJP in their inhumane siege on Palestinians and Kashmiris, respectively, we could only watch with a heavy heart and teary eyes.
Why? Why after over 73 years, the Muslim Ummah and its leadership is unable to stand up to the barbarians that continue – to this very moment – terrorize and kill our brothers and sisters.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
They wage war in the name of peace. They bomb in the name of humanity. They practice imperialism and colonialism in the name of democracy.
It is just inconceivable to witness such barbarity and injustice despite the international system having evolved to seemingly protect basic human rights while instilling a sense of morality.
The answer, ladies and gentlemen, for such blatant injustice is simply: power asymmetry. If the last few weeks, and the last 73 years in general, are of any indication, it is that the powerful get away with pretty much anything.
There was condemnation from across the world for what was happening in Palestine. Yet, it took weeks to mobilize a simple unified response from the Muslim world.
It took weeks to come together at the stage of the UN. Yes, institutional cultures do curtail the swiftness of such international or regional mobilization, however, we do need to keep in mind that every day, multiple lives were lost which could have been saved. Besides, it is not just the past few weeks, we need to remember that these conflicts go back many decades.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
What is happening in Palestine, and in Kashmir, there is no law, no morality, no values, no logic that explains the actions of the barbarians we know as Israeli and Modi’s BJP regimes. It is just power. They have gotten away with it only because of the power asymmetries that exist in the international system. Power asymmetries that force states to either bow down or simply look the other way.
We, as Muslim nations, have a responsibility to tackle such power dynamics by focusing on unifying our position and diplomatic resources to disband such asymmetry. For that, we as Muslim nations – who are blessed to have our homelands where we can practice our religion freely – need to internally strengthen ourselves so that we are able to fight for the rights of our brothers and sisters in Palestine and in Kashmir.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
In order to achieve any meaningful justice, we need to unify ourselves religiously as well as politically. Internal stability is the first step for a unified response to the discriminatory power asymmetries that keep us from achieving any meaningful justice in Palestine or Kashmir. At the regional level too, we need unification. For that, ladies and gentlemen, we need to free ourselves from the western interpretation of ‘nationalism’ that Allama Iqbal also criticized. For us Muslims, nationalism is not based on race, culture, or geography, rather it is based on our religion and relationship with Muhammad (SAW) the Messenger of Allah. We need to give preference to this spiritual connection that we all have and share, instead of any pseudo western influenced idea of nationalism based on geopolitics.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
I would like to conclude by offering my prayers and sympathies for all those who have lost their lives in these conflicts. I pray that Allah Almighty give the people of Palestine and Kashmir the patience and resilience they need, and give us all Muslims the guidance to fight for their justice. Ameen.
Thank you once again to all for joining us today, and I look forward to a productive discussion by our worthy panelists.
Thank you very much.
