Daily Times

Ambassador of Iran in Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost has said that Pakistan and Iran should jointly work to resolve the Palestinian issue, adding that leadership of both the countries should spearhead all moves seeking amicable resolution of the issue.

Speaking to a ceremony organized to mark the Al-Quds Day here at a local hotel, the ambassador said it was necessary that all the governments, nations and Islamic societies especially Iran and Pakistan utilize their influence to ensure rights to the oppressed people of Palestine. He said the wars during the last two decades in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan rendered nothing but deaths and displacement of a number of oppressed Muslims in the world, destruction of Islamic countries and further weakening of Islamic society.

He said in view of the oppressive approach of imperialistic powers against Muslim countries, especially Palestine, all the Muslim countries should get united and take steps by utilizing their potential. In this regard, he said, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran Imam Khomeini had named the last Friday of the holy month of Ramazan as ‘Quds Day’ so that all the Muslims in the world can protest in an organized manner against the silence of international powers and support of imperialistic regimes to Israel and suppression of Palestinians.

“Quds Day does not only belong to the people of Palestine, rather it is a world day and day of expressing unity and solidarity by the Muslims,” he said. Quds Sharif as an important city of Palestine has special significance for Muslims because Aqsa Mosque, the first Qibla of the Muslims, is situated in this city, he concluded.

Published in Daily Times, June 10^th 2018.