LAHORE: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh has expressed the collective concerns of the entire business, industry and trade community of Pakistan on the ongoing inhumane siege of Palestine and barbaric attack on a hospital resulting in the martyrdom of more than 500 innocent lives and many more are struggling to survive.
According to a press release issued here on Thursday Irfan Iqbal Sheikh also raised the issue of humanitarian crisis on the occasion of the visit of Maryam Nawaz Sharif to FPCCI’s regional office. FPCCI senior member Sohail Altaf presented a resolution in this regard to strongly denounce the war crimes and atrocities on the unarmed and innocent civilians of Gaza and calling for an end to the war.
Sohail Altaf said that more than 4000 Palestinian lives have been lost so far and hundreds more lives were being taken every day. Tens of thousands were seriously injured and more than a million Palestinians had been internally displaced and made homeless, he added. He further said that it was prohibited under the Geneva Convention and international law to attack a hospital or a medical facility in any conflict or war under any circumstances and if committed, was considered a war crime.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh demanded that there should be an immediate and absolute humanitarian ceasefire to enable provision of aid to the victims. United Nations should intervene and lead the international efforts to save and rescue the war affected population of Gaza, he said and added that OIC should pool their resources to rehabilitate the people and reconstruct the city. International community should prosecute the war crimes to the fullest extent of law.
The FPCCI Chief also expressed his fears that if the war continues unabated it might engulf the entire world in general and the region in particular. He said, “It will cause disruptions in regional and international trade, international oil supplies, disruptions in the international financial system and restricted international travel and movement.” It was a gravely bleak scenario and there will be no winner of this war, he added.