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ISLAMABAD, Feb 6 (APP): The Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East and Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI) on Friday organized a public talk under its Distinguished Lecture series, titled, ‘Palestine at a Crossroads: The Future of the Palestinian Cause under the Board of Peace.’
The Chief Guest at the event was Mohammad Makram Omar Moh’d Balawi, Secretary General of the League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds (LP4Q), said a press release.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, President, Pakistan Africa Institute for Development and Research (PAIDAR), was the keynote speaker at the event. Dr. Amina Khan, Director CAMEA and Khalid Mahmood, Chairman, BOG, ISSI also spoke on the occasion.
Dr. Amina Khan, in her welcome remarks said, that despite global outrage and mounting evidence, Israel remains actively engaged in the systematic genocide of the Palestinian people, marked by mass civilian killings, destruction of entire communities, and the deliberate dismantling of Palestinian life and the other occupied territories. Any credible pathway forward, including initiatives such as the Board of Peace, must be anchored in justice, accountability, and the realisation of Palestinian self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions and international law.
Makram Balawi, while expressing his views said that Pakistan’s acknowledged stance on Palestine is historically defined. He further pointed out that the Israeli settler colonialism is evident in occupied Palestine. There is no focus on finding a political solution for the Palestinian people and this is the main challenge. The Europeans are now talking about a two-state solution but not doing anything substantive about it. Israel has always been ignoring the two-state solution and there is also talk about recognizing Jerusalem as the new capital of Israel.
Senator Mushahid Hussain stated that the discourse on Palestine has changed with the emergence of three key realities: growing awareness in Western countries of Israeli brutality, increasing perception within the Arab and Muslim world of Israel as a major threat, and the rise of a coordinated Indo-Israel nexus driven by extremist ideologies of Hindutva and Zionism respectively, linking the issues of Kashmir and Palestine. He emphasized Pakistan’s historic and unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, recalling that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s first formal diplomatic communication with former U.S. President Harry Truman was on Palestine. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to using international peace platforms to help resolve this longstanding issue.
Khalid Mahmood, in his remarks, emphasized the need to keep the Palestinian issue firmly on the international agenda. He reiterated that Pakistan’s position on the Palestine issue has been principled and unwavering since the inception of the country and remains unchanged. This position, he noted, is not only grounded in Pakistan’s ideological commitment but is also firmly aligned with relevant United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Security Council resolutions and international law. He expressed deep concern over the current situation in Palestine, highlighting the grave humanitarian crisis faced by the Palestinian people as a matter of serious international concern. He underscored that Al-Quds (Jerusalem) holds a special place for Pakistan and the Pakistani people, particularly since its occupation.
He noted that Israel’s attempts to alter the status of the city through illegal settlements have been repeatedly rejected by the United Nations. In this context, he stressed that the two-state solution remains the only viable path forward, and Pakistan remains fully committed to this internationally recognized framework.
The talk was attended by diplomats, academics, students, practitioners and members of the civil society and ended with an engaging Question and Answer session.