ISLAMABAD, 5 August 2006 — Pakistan’s National Assembly yesterday unanimously condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and demanded an immediate end to hostilities.
The resolution, tabled by a federal minister and supported by all parties, condemned the “Israeli aggression” and asked the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to protect Lebanese political and territorial integrity.
The resolution “condemned the Israeli atrocities against the innocent people and urged the world body to take it up as a case of crime against humanity.”
No international peacekeeping force should be deployed in Lebanon unless the Jewish state completely withdraws its forces from the south of the country, the resolution said.
The National Assembly also urged the United Nations to act before its credibility was harmed, and appealed to the international community to mount pressure on Israel for an immediate cease-fire.
“The way Israel is conducting the aggression against the Lebanese people with the backing of the United States is both criminal and condemnable,” Qazi Hussain Ahmad, chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami, said in supporting the move.
Another member of Parliament, Raja Pervez Ashraf, described the Israeli attacks as “an insult to humanity” and urged the European Union and the United States to immediately intervene for a cease-fire.
Firebrand speakers Sherry Rehman, Liaquat Baloch and Kashmala Tariq among others also condemned the United Nations’ silence in face of Israeli brutality.
More than three weeks of Israeli attacks into Lebanon have provoked protests and conferences against them across Pakistan. The Senate passed a similar resolution on Wednesday.
During the emergency OIC meeting held in Malaysia on Thursday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz slammed the failure of the United Nations to put a stop to the violence in the Middle East, saying the “paralysis” of international powers to call for a cease-fire was a blow to the international fight against terrorism.
“The failure of the international community, especially the United Nations and the major powers, to halt this outrage is adding to popular anger in the region and around the world,” Aziz said in a statement.
Aziz presented an eight-point proposal for ending the crisis, including requesting that a UN-mandated force be deployed in Lebanon with the consent of all parties concerned to ensure a cease-fire.
“As this outrage continues unchecked, those responsible for ensuring peace and upholding international norms sit in conference rooms debating why this should not happen,” he said.
