Pakistan should be extremely cautious in ME: Farhatullah Babar

Islamabad: The OIC summit in Makkah is taking place amidst three destabilizing elements namely Saudi- Qatar rivalry, Saudi-Iran proxy war in Yemen and Saudi backed US war mongering in the Gulf and Pakistan must be extremely cautious as it has deep rooted relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar.

This was stated by former Senator Farhatullah Babar at a seminar on Al-Quds Day organized by the Iranian Embassy at a local hotel in Islamabad today.

He said that Pakistan had take a hard look at its policies and avoid being sucked into a Middle East conflict under any circumstances. Pakistan he said should reconsider whether it is in our best national interest to allow a former Army chief continue to lead the military alliance that is widely perceived to be against Iran.

Half of the people of Palestine were forced to live as refugees and the other half forced to live and endure atrocities under Israeli occupation. He said it was issue of fundament rights of a people the non resolution of which during the past seven decades had placed question mark before the UN itself.

Pakistan has hyphenated Kashmir with Palestine to promote its narrative on Kashmir but by mishandling Kashmir policy Islamabad had also undermined the legitimate cause of Palestinian people, he said. Kargil misadventure and emphasizing the jehadi character he said had transformed Kashmir issue from a legitimate issue of freedom struggle into an issue of cross border terrorism and this could also undermine Palestine cause

He said that by changing the stance of successive US administration on East Jerusalem and shifting US embassy there President Trump could no longer be regarded as an honest broker in the conflict. The reported ‘deal of the century’ must therefore be viewed with great suspicion,

There is no alternative to the two state solution and creation of an independent Palestine state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Pakistan has always supported Palestinian cause right from the days of the Quaid who in 1948 paid glowing tributes to the sacrifices of Palestinians. Pakistan fought on the side of Arabs in Arab Israeli wars, recognized PLO as the sole representative of Palestinian people in the OIC summit in 1974, he said.

The conference was also addressed by Qibla Ayaz chairman council of Islamic ideology, minister of state Ali Muhammad Khan, ex MNA Muhammad Aslam, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Ambassador Mahdi Honardoost and others.