ISLAMABAD: Pakistani prime minister’s special assistant Mushaal Hussein Mullick on Tuesday condemned the world for its “criminal silence” as Israel continues to wage its war against Palestinians in Gaza, killing over 10,000 people in aerial and ground offensives since Oct. 7.
Mullick, who was appointed as special assistant to the prime minister on human rights and women empowerment in August, spoke during a session of the OIC’s International Conference on Women in Islam in Jeddah.
During her speech, Mullick drew parallels between the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir administered by India and war-torn Palestine, saying that the people of the two territories are being oppressed and denied their basic human rights.
Speaking about Gaza, Mullick said when the “democratic voices of peace and non-violence” are killed, hanged, jailed, banned, or silenced, then the oppressed have no choice but to choose the path of violence.
“I repeat these horrors are the seeds that are sown with our own hands and this criminal silence of the world against the stopping of these war crimes,” she said.
She warned that by not giving peace a chance, the world order was headed toward a collapse as global peace and economies are linked to the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir and Palestine disputes.
Mullick said Muslim women and children in Indian-administered Kashmir and Palestine are suffering gender-based violence.
“So, I request the honorable leadership of the OIC to respond to my plea to save my husband’s [Yasin Malik, a separatist Kashmiri leader] life and of all the oppressed Kashmiris and Palestinians as they are the most marginalized, vulnerable communities in the world right now,” Mullick said.
Mullick’s appeal for cease-fire comes as Israel intensifies its war in Gaza. Of the 10,000 killed since Oct. 7 in the densely populated Palestinian territory, over 4,000 dead are children, according to Palestinian officials.
Israel has defied growing international demands for a cease-fire and says hostages taken by Hamas’ military wing during their attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 should be released first.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that Gaza is turning into a “graveyard for children.”
The UN chief said the war must stop now as an entire population in Gaza is besieged and being denied access to essentials for survival. He said Palestinians are being bombed in their homes, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship in Gaza.
“This is unacceptable. We need an immediate humanitarian cease-fire. It’s been 30 days. Enough is enough. This must stop now.”
