President Dr. Arif Alvi remarked on Friday that the world was making the worst error by not treating all people equally, casting doubt on the conscience of the world over Israel’s murder in Gaza and the ongoing violations of human rights in Occupied Kashmir. Speaking at an event in honour of International Human Rights Day, the president stated that the manner innocent people and children were being killed in Gaza would have a lasting effect on peace since it would be difficult for the victims to forget such atrocities. Attendees included international nongovernmental organisations (NGO) leaders, First Lady Samina Alvi, and ambassadors from other nations.
Pakistan, he said, was a developing nation moving towards protecting human rights, but humanity still looked to the powerful countries to uphold the rights being violated in Palestine and Indian-occupied Kashmir, where thousands of people had died, a disproportionate number of them women and children. The president declared that humanitarianism should take precedence over vested interests and called for a world order that would not allow for conflict. He went on, “The United Nations should work towards the objective of no wars in the world, rather than promoting the narrative of civilised wars.” In contrast to the vested interests that sparked wars based on the self-serving excuses of the powerful nations, he claimed that humanitarianism could not gain traction in international affairs.