ISLAMABAD: The Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that 13th meeting of PUIC was opened at a time when Muslim communities across the globe passing through a saga of pain and prosecution.

He further said that Muslim world has remained the world theatre of wars, violence and worries.According to a message received from Tehran, he expressed these views in his speech delivered at the General Assembly of Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC) held at Tehran, Iran on Tuesday.

The Speaker said that War in Syria, fighting in Yemen, the terrorist surge in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the bleeding wounds of the Palestinians, Kashmiris and the Rohingya Muslims are a constant reminder for us. He said that in recent years Muslim Ummah has divided and discarded more than ever before that has not only harmed peace in our respective countries but has also hampered the growth and development of our people.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that our people languish in hunger, disease, illiteracy and lack of opportunities to a better future despite owning the riches of the world. Illiteracy is the main reason that our people are discriminated and forced to take a back seat in the global affairs, he added.

The Speaker said that despite braving the global wave of terrorism and sacrificing the maximum number of precious lives, we are being blamed for this menace.

He said that world has failed to appreciate the Muslims who were instrumental in the defeat of the Al Qaida and Daaish and are being asked to “DO MORE”. He stressed the need for unity among the Muslims countries for peace and prosperity of Muslim Ummah.

He said that the continued spate of tweets by the US President Donald Trump, attacking religions and coloured nations, equating Islam with terrorism and branding the poor African and Caribbean nations as “Shit Hole States” is not only demeaning but also not befitting to the stature of the President of the United States of America.

“The Pakistan delegation strongly denounces this mindset” he added. He said that the malicious effort to alter the status of the Holy city of Jerusalem is not only a move to violate the International Law and the related UN resolutions but also a deliberate attempt to undermine the peace efforts in the Middle East.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that ethnic cleansing of the poor Rohingya Muslims and the continued persecution of innocent men, women and children of Kashmir needed immediate attention.

He said that the right of self-determination has been continuously denied to the Kashmiris by India for the last seven decades. The Speaker has said that the Indian occupation forces have martyred more than One Hundred Thousand Muslim Kashmiris, about one Hundred and Thirty Thousand have been arrested and over Twenty Thousand men are missing with their fate unknown.

He said that a new phenomenon of pellet guns, which has resulted in the loss of partial or complete eye sight of more than 500 Kashmiris.

The Speaker said that the firing by the Indian troops on the Line of Control( LoC) in Kashmir, which is resulting in loss of precious lives and property on Pakistan’s side of the LOC, is deliberate attempt to divert the global attention from the gross human rights violations in the occupied Valley of Jammu and Kashmir” he added.

He said that Pakistan has persistently called for an end to this madness and advocates a negotiated settlement of Kashmir dispute. The Speaker said that the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries is best placed to address all such pressing issues, confronting the Ummah today. “As parliamentarians, it is our duty to push our respective governments towards a policy of integration and not disharmony” he added.

Later on, in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Dr. Ali Larijani, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has stressed the need for a greater cooperation among the countries of the region for common prosperity. He drew the attention of Iranian Speaker over the growing Indo-Israeli nexus and the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to New Delhi.

“The Israeli Prime Minister has brought over 130 strong military and business delegation to India and the two countries are forging a military alliance, which is surely targeted towards the Muslims of the region,” said Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, terming it a threat to regional peace.

He especially mentioned the continued brutalities of Indian occupying forces against innocent Kashmiri people and lamented the silence of the Muslim world. “It is ironic that while Modi’s Government unleashes a reign of terror against Kashmiri Muslims, Muslim governments are busy promoting business ties with India,” observed Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

Iranian Speaker Dr. Ali Larijani expressed complete solidarity with Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and assured his complete support to the issue once it was raised formally by the Pakistani Speaker at the Conference.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also called for forging regional understanding and in this regard thanked his Iranian counterpart for the latter’s meaningful participation in the 1st Speakers Conference to counter Challenges of Terrorism, Drug Trade and Inter-Regional Connectivity, which was hosted by Pakistan in December last year.

On the bilateral front, the two sides underscored the importance of enhancing trade between the two countries, which is disappointingly low despite immense potential. Iranian market has an annual consumption of meat and rice, worth US$ one billion respectively.

However, in the absence of formal banking channels, smuggling is on the rise. This was particularly noted by the two Speakers, who resolved to encourage the Central Banks of the two countries to work out a suitable solution in this regard.