PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja addresses a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, flanked by Vice Chairman Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar. SCREEN GRAB
ISLAMABAD:
Opposition leaders on Saturday strongly condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran, warning that the attack could destabilize the entire region and endanger global peace.
During a joint press conference, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen Pakistan (TTAP) spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai and other leaders of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen urged the government to adopt an immediate stand on the issue.
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that he had come to brief the nation on an extremely sensitive matter.
He declared that an attack on Iran was not only an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state, but also a threat to regional and global peace. He noted that such an action during ongoing negotiations in Geneva constituted a clear violation of diplomatic norms and international law.
He warned that an attack by two nuclear powers on an Islamic country was deeply alarming. “If, God forbid, Iran suffers damage, Pakistan will not remain unaffected,” he said, adding that the entire region could descend into severe instability.
He stressed that no country had the right to violate Iran’s land, sea or airspace and deplored the civilian casualties and attacks on educational institutions as a humanitarian tragedy and in violation of international law and human values.
Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said that the sovereignty of Pakistan and the wider Muslim world faced potential threats in the evolving situation. He called on all Muslim countries to unite in condemning the act.
He also warned against attempts to fuel sectarian divisions in the region and stressed that Shia and Sunni communities must remain united.
According to him, the current circumstances call for political stability and national cohesion in Pakistan. He alleged that certain forces were trying to create distance between the armed forces and the public and to embroil Pakistan in disputes with neighboring countries, which could harm national interests.
Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar also condemned the attack and warned that its consequences would not be limited to Iran. He warned that any attempt at regime change in Iran would have dangerous consequences for the entire region and could trigger new tensions.
Khokhar criticized the lack of consultation at the national level on important foreign policy issues in Pakistan, stating that certain decisions were made without debate in parliament or public engagement.
He demanded that the government submit major foreign policy issues to parliament and ensure that decisions are made in accordance with national interests.
TTAP spokesman Akhunzada Hussain Yousafzai said that despite the attack on Iran, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation had not convened an emergency meeting, even though an urgent consultation was needed.
