Kashmir and Palestine issue being obstructed by ‘Int politics’
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi has said that Big power politics have stood in the way of promoting peaceful solutions for Kashmir and Palestine questions, Ms Lodhi in the interest of global peace made a clarion call for major powers to help in settling the “two oldest unresolved issues.”
The Pakistani envoy while giving an interview to a London based newspaper said that “Palestine and Kashmir are similar”, furthermore she highlighted the two countries’ decades-long struggle for the right to self-determination in the face of heavy odds.
Ambassador Lodhi added “The question we ask in the Muslim world is: why is it that clear-cut Security Council resolutions on the two issues remain unimplemented? On Palestine, the roadmap was very clear: the Security Council had continuously endorsed a two-state solution. What stood in the way was Israel’s intransigence to accomplish that objective. In the case of Kashmir, it was India’s intransigence in refusing to engage in negotiations with Pakistan aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the UN-recognized dispute.
In the absence of any solution, she said more conflict would not be in the interest of the two regions. “In both cases somehow, the dynamics of great power politics have to be addressed and that is the challenge.”
She furthermore added that in accordance with the international law, Justice needs to be done, she said that morality, UN resolutions, while the collective voice of the International community were being cast aside, she said. She said that at the same time, when other issues emerge, they are taken up with speed.
“Obviously, the people of Palestine and the people of Kashmir have a very natural feeling of brotherhood and solidarity for each other, they understand each others’ predicament — the suffering of the Palestinians and the plight of the Kashmiri people are identical because the promises made to them (by the international community) have been broken… and those broken promises have led to a very, very dangerous security situation, both in the Middle-East and as well as in our part of the world.”
She said that in the Indian occupied Kashmir, the kind of human rights violations going on are unprecedented in scope and intensity, she noted that those atrocities have been condemned by international media.
While talking about the OIC (the organization of Islamic Cooperation) she said that it has in every ministerial meeting issued communications expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir and calling for a peaceful resolution of the dispute. “We are grateful to the Muslim world for standing with us, but I think what we do need is for the International community as a whole to respond to both the issues of Palestine and Kashmir. Both Kashmir and Palestine were not just cases of injustice, Ambassador Lodhi said, adding that these issues should be resolved because they could fuel the kind of tensions and conflict that could suck in many more countries than they already have.”
Ambassador Lodhi said that In South Asia as the dispute involved two nuclear neighbours, peaceful settlement has always been advocated by Pakistan “because that is the only path to take.”
Ms Lodhi while responding to a question has said that Pakistan has and will always stand by the people of Palestine. “We are prepared to do and we have already done whatever is required … we also raise our voice at the United Nations.” She added that there was need to forge unity in the Ummah as to effectively focus international attention on the issue. She said that the OIC must speak with a united voice.
“We see divisions in the Muslim world today that need to be addressed as lack of unity plays into the hands of our enemies.” So, I think the Muslim world has to rise above these differences but these must be addressed by ourselves.”
As far as Pakistan was concerned, she said, the country had faced many challenges but it was turning the corner both in the security and economic fields.
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