Altaf Hamid Rao.
MIRPUR (AJK), (Parliament Times) : Azad Jammu Kashmir President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, while welcoming ceasefire between Israel and Iran, has called for further de-escalation to ensure sustainable peace in the region, it was officially said.
Referring to the devastating impacts of the ongoing war in the Middle East, he said, ” war is not the solution to any problem”.
Stressing the need for resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, the president said that all issues should be resolved at the negotiating table.Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry appreciated the countries who played a significant behind-the-scenes role in brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, AJK President office said.
The president said that the truce agreement between Iran and Israel was a positive development: however the influential world governments should also play their due role to help resolve the longstanding issue of Palestine, which he said was one of the major contributing factors behind perpetual unrest and instability in the Middle East.
“The main reason for this war is the Palestinian issue”, he said, citing Israel’s ruthless bombardement of the Palestinians and slaughter of tens of thousands of defenseless people including men women and children.Highlighting the woeful plight of helpless Palestinians, the president regrettably noted that the Israeli government has deprived them of their right to life.
“People in Gaza are being starved to death”, he said, adding that depriving people of food and drinking water amounts to a war crime.The lack of essential commodities including food, water and medicine pose existential threat to Palestinians particularly children, women and the elderly.
“It is high time that the world should take effective notice of the matter and come forward in a big way to help resolve the lingering dispute peacefully in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Palestinian people”, the president said.The resolution of the Palestine issue, he said, was a key to peace and stability in the Middle East.