“O rulers! Why do you not get angry when you see the corpses and pieces of flesh? How do you sleep? How do you eat? How do you drink? How do you live your life? When will you wake up? The helpless cry out, calling out to you. No one stands up for this sincere group of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
These words of pain and suffering and grief and turmoil are from the former senator of the Islamic group, Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, who holds protests for the oppressed Muslim Palestinians in Islamabad and Peshawar, setting up Gaza camps and protesting, trying to shake up the rulers and the whole nation. But instead of supporting them, cases are being filed against them, sometimes speeding vehicles rush into their camps, sometimes the police give them threats. This is the treatment being meted out to Senator Mushtaq Ahmed and his companions in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Pakistan is the only atomic power in the Islamic world, our country is known and recognized by the name of the fortress of Islam. The Pakistani nation has been ground down in poverty for decades, but this nation did not hesitate to make sacrifices for nuclear programs and missile technology to fulfill the hopes of the Muslim Ummah so that the rulers could live up to the expectations of the Muslim community. But alas, our rulers have turned a blind eye to the plight and oppression of the Palestinian people by Israeli forces for the past eight months, instead of speaking up for them, they are causing harm to those who express solidarity with the Palestinians. Is there any ambiguity in Pakistan’s policy regarding the Palestinian issue? Or is an attempt being made to create confusion?
Let us look at our state policy on the issue of Palestine, the founder of the beloved country Pakistan, especially the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the philosopher of Pakistan Allama Iqbal, due to whose vision the Muslims of the subcontinent were granted freedom. Both individuals not only had an eye on the issues of the subcontinent but also kept an eye on the challenges facing Muslims around the world and Islam.
Their opinions on international issues that emerged during that era are still true and correct today. It was necessary for us as the people of Pakistan to consider the thoughts and perspectives of these founders as a guideline for our general life and Pakistan’s policies. Similarly, their vision and ideas on foreign affairs are considered as a decision-making basis for the people of Pakistan.
The sage of the nation, Allama Iqbal, wrote a letter to a British leader just a year before his passing, urging the British government to not be unjust to the Arabs. The letter was in response to the Balfour Declaration which marked the attempt of Zionism to create a state in Palestine and the establishment of an unlawful Israeli state there. Later, at the annual session of the All-India Muslim League held in Lucknow on October 15, 1937, the Quaid-e-Azam criticized the British government for their stance on the Palestinian issue.
“The issue of Palestine has a deep impact on all Muslims. The British government’s policy has been one of deception from the beginning till now, taking advantage of the trust of the Arabs and benefiting fully from their nature of trusting others. Britain has failed to fulfill its promises of giving complete freedom to the Arabs, instead, they have created false promises for their own benefit and have imposed themselves on them through the infamous Balfour Declaration, with the aim of creating a national homeland for the Jews. After making policies to divide Palestine into two parts”.
The recommendations of the Royal Commission have written the last chapter of this tragic story. If enforced, it will be a bloodbath of the Arab aspirations and desires for their own homeland. We are being told to focus on the actual facts, but the question is, who created these circumstances? I want to tell the British government that if they do not make a fair decision on the issue of Palestine with deliberation, courage, and justice, it will open a new revolution in British history. The Muslims of India and the Arabs will support their brave and just struggle”.
After coming into existence, every government in Pakistan has expressed solidarity with the Palestinian Muslims without discrimination or distinction. Although it is also a fact that the emotions of the Pakistani people are so intense that no government has been able to fully translate those emotions. But it is also true that no government has ever accepted the illegal state of Israel despite all the pressures, and Pakistanis still consider Israel an illegitimate state.
Pakistan has had to pay a heavy price for its principled stance on both direct and indirect fronts. It is not pointless to say that the Pakistani nation and government have been financially and militarily supporting the freedom of Palestine and the oppressed residents of the Holy Land, following the footsteps of Pakistan’s founders. Today, the entire nation stands firm on the stance of the founding pillars of Pakistan, but the foreign policy of the government is showing signs of wavering, a clear and consistent position is not visible.
When the whole world, including America and Europe, stands with the oppressed Palestinians, we are trying to deal harshly with those protesting for the rights of the oppressed Muslims of Gaza. When three European countries, Norway, Ireland, and Spain, have broken their fear by recognizing Palestine as a state, why are we silent? This situation has left me and other Pakistanis deeply disturbed, the government should inform the nation about the facts regarding foreign policy without wasting a moment, as the nation cannot remain in further confusion.