Incarcerated PTI leaders in Lahore on Monday called for an urgent multi-party conference in the wake of the recent Board of Peace meeting to build national consensus on peace and stability in Gaza, according to a statement released to the media.
The leaders — Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Mahmoodur Rasheed and Ejaz Chaudhry — jailed for involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots issued the statement through their lawyer, Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar, from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
The statement said that a multi-party conference should be held immediately on the “Palestinian issue”, saying that sustainable peace was not possible in the region without a “two-state solution and justice”.
It called on all parties to reiterate their support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
“Since the ceasefire was announced through negotiations, more than 600 deaths have been reported in Gaza as a result of continuous ceasefire violations,” the statement pointed out.
“Israel’s decision to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, its unilateral actions to change the legal, demographic and historical status of the occupied Palestinian territories, its refusal to withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, its refusal to allow reconstruction work before Hamas disarms, and its continued obstruction of the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid are all undermining the 20-point peace plan.”
The leaders further highlighted a need to discuss why four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) were not ready to be part of United States President Donald Trump’s new Board of Peace, ostensibly established to settle the Gaza conflict.
“Is it fair that Israel should be given membership of the Peace Board while the Palestinians are kept out?” they asked, pointing out that Israel’s violations of international law and the UN Charter had further escalated Middle East tensions.
The US president’s board met for its inaugural session in Washington on Thursday, with a number of countries pledging money and personnel for rebuilding, more than four months into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. However, the meeting offered no timeline for Hamas to lay down its weapons or for Israel’s army to withdraw from the shattered enclave.
The statement also addressed the recently brewing conflict between the US and Iran, expressing concern that Tehran’s failure to reach an agreement with Washington within 10 days “could push the region towards war”. It highlighted the significant consequences of instability in Iran and its impact on Pakistan.
“Since there has been no meaningful debate in parliament on the Palestinian issue and the rising tensions in the Middle East, an urgent multi-party conference is the need of the hour to build a national consensus for peace and stability in Gaza and the wider region,” the statement concluded.
The UN said on Thursday that Israel’s increased attacks and forcible transfers of Palestinians “raise concerns over ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
During the 12 months covered in the report, at least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, had starved to death in Gaza, it added.
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