Palestine and Kashmir , victims of settler colonialism

Karachi : The Department of International Relations, University of Karachi and Palestine Foundation Pakistan organized a seminar on The Future of Palestine & Kashmir, “Examining History & Geopolitical Importance”, in Arts Auditorium of University of Karachi on Tuesday. The seminar was presided over by Professor Dr. Nusrat Idris, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences and Arts, while Brigadier (Rtd) Haris Nawaz was the chief guest.

The seminar was addressed by Professor Dr. Shaista Tabasim, Chairperson of the Department of International Relations, Dr. Khalida Ghos, expert on human rights, Dr Sabir Abu Maryam  an expert on Palestine and Secretary General of Palestine Foundation Pakistan.

Addressing the seminar, Dr. Nusrat Idris said that an illegitimate state called Israel was established on Palestine by emigrating from all over the world. She termed the Balfour Declaration as a serious injustice to the Palestinian and Arab nations.

Addressing the seminar, Dr. Shaista Tabsum said that demography is being changed in Palestine and Kashmir and the foundation of Palestine cause was started with Zionist settlement and today we see similar scenes in Occupied Kashmir. She said that whether it is the issue of Palestine or the issue of Kashmir, both of them are not only affecting Pakistan but are also affecting international relations.

Appreciating the efforts of Palestine Foundation Pakistan, she described the seminar organized in University of Karachi as positive.

Palestine is suffering from an important problem, under a specific procedure, one population is resettled in another place and the original population of that place is reduced, this process is called settler colonialism, She said that the Indian government has taken control of Kashmir 25 acres of land was given to the Soldiers’ Colony and 42hundred thousands illegal domiciles were issued so that land could be easily purchased, Kashmir is becoming a picture of settler colonialism in the modern world.

Addressing the seminar, Chief Guest Brigadier (Rtd) Haris Nawaz said that the unity of the Muslim world is the most important need of the time. All the problems of the Muslim world, Kashmir and Palestine, can be solved only by the activity of the OIC and the mutual unity of the Muslim world. He said that if Western countries can form a NATO alliance, why can’t the forces of the Muslim world form an alliance for the defense and freedom of Palestine. He praised the initiatives of highlighting the issues of Kashmir and Palestine in universities and organizing seminars for students.

To addressing the seminar, A human rights expert Dr. Khalida Ghous said that there are dozens of UN resolutions against the aggression and human rights abuses by the usurping Zionists and Indian forces in Occupied Palestine and Occupied Kashmir, but it is a pity that these resolutions Implementation is not guaranteed. She said that there is a lack of experts in international law in the Muslim world including Pakistan, which we have to pay attention to so that the global forums raise every voice to solve the problems of the Muslim world.

Speaking at the seminar, Secretary General of Palestine Foundation Pakistan, Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam, said that there is illegal domination in both Palestine and Kashmir.

He said that for the Zionist settlers brought from all over the world, the land of Palestine was occupied by the establishing Israel.

France, along with Great Britain and the United States, policed the illegitimate Zionist state to maintain its hegemony in West Asia.

Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam said that father of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has declared Zionist domination over Palestine and the establishment of Israel as illegitimate and this is the ideological basis of Pakistan. Today, some elements are involved in activities for Israel in Pakistan, which is a complete violation of the ideology of Pakistan and the constitution of Pakistan.

He said that Islam respects all religions and the purpose of speaking against the establishment of the illegitimate state of Israel on Palestine is not anti-Semitism but opposition to Zionism. Israel was created to dominate the region, but the national resistance of Palestine and Lebanon has forced Israel to its knees. He further said that the future of Kashmir and Palestine is bright.

He said that elements in Pakistan who are building relations with Israel should know that this dream will never be fulfilled. He said that the aim of relations with Israel would be to forget the Kashmir cause. He said that Pakistan has a strong bond with the Palestinian cause which will remain forever. On this occasion, he also thanked Dr. Shaista Tabassum and the students of University of Karachi.

At the end of the seminar, honorary shields were also distributed among the honored guests and volunteers. The seminar was attended by a large number of students from the University of Karachi, including NUML and other universities.

In the seminar, a large number of teachers from different departments of Karachi University, Dean Islamic Learning Professor Dr. Zahid Ali Zahidi, Professor Dr. Samar Sultana from the Department of Political Science, Professor Dr. Muhammad Ali, Dr. Sohaiba Qadri, Dr. Shehla Tahsin, from the department of International Relations Dr. Naeem, Dr. Amjad Abro, Dr. Yasir, Dr. Imtiaz, from department of commerce Dr. Sadaf Mustafa, Dr. Humira from Department of General History, Dr. Asma from Department of Women Studies, Dr. Elia among the teachers from various departments including Dr. Afrooz, Dr. Shafuta, Dr. Sohail Shafiq from Shaheed Benazir Chair, Usman Ghani and others were also present.