‘Practical steps needed to help Palestinians’

LAHORE : Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Pakistan Secretary General Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jaffri has said that the situation in Palestine warrants more than mere lip-service of the Muslim world.

Talking to The News, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas called upon leaders of the Muslim world to do something practical for Palestinians facing appalling atrocities by Israel, saying merely issuing statements to condemn is not going to help.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said in the wake of ruthless atrocities being perpetrated on innocent Palestinians he had talked to Siraj-ul-Haq, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Sahibzada Abu Al-Khair, Sahibzada Hamid Raza and several other political and religious leaders of Pakistan emphasising unity and support for the Palestinians. He added MWM together with other religious and political parties would observe Palestine Solidarity Day across the country on May 16 (today).

The MWM chief came hard on world powers particularly United Nations for acting as silent spectator and regretted that Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had miserably failed to bring peace and security in Palestine.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that Israel was bombing innocent Palestinians living in the occupied and congested territories while the world was totally oblivious of genocide being committed by Israel against Palestinians. He said innocent Palestinians had complete right of self-defence against Israeli atrocities and the world must take notice of grave human rights violation by Israel.

The MWM chief said that people of Pakistan, the sole atomic power of the Islamic world, was heart of the Muslim Ummah, fully supported their Palestinian brethren. He, however, regretted that unlike common people in the Muslim world their leaders seemed totally indifferent to Israeli aggression and atrocities against the Palestinians.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that Israel under its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the grip of social, economic and political crisis while aggression and grave crimes against innocent people of Palestine had also increased as Netanyahu wanted to gain political lifeline amid these crises. He called upon leaders of the Muslim world to demonstrate courage at this critical time to support Palestinians in their struggle.