ISLAMABAD:Convener World Minorities Alliance (WMA) and former Federal Minister for Population Welfare, Julius Salik on Wednesday urged the world community to continue peace efforts to protect humanity and peace despite war.
The renowned human rights defender recalled his visit to war-hit Bosnia in 1994 to express solidarity with the war-affected people and to avert the looming threat of Christian-Muslim conflict in Pakistan at that time.
In a telephonic conversation with reporter from Washington Julius Salik, famously known as J. Salik, recalled that in December 1994 he was the federal minister and his friends and peers demanded him to celebrate his achievement after 20 years of struggle.
“I had become a councillor twice from Lahore and was detained seven times during martial law regime of General Zia. I struggled and faced a lot of torture in detention and I was once ordered to be shot in jail,” he said.
Salik said he had turned down all the requests for celebrations and responded that it was not the time for jubilation rather to thank God Almighty.
“I decided to go to Bosnia and celebrate my Christmas with Bosnian children as the war at that time had spiked up leading to bloodshed of Muslims and it erupted the risk of Christian-Muslim conflict in Pakistan,” he added.
Salik added that the then Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto requested him to cancel his visit as the then Pakistan’s UN Peace envoy Jamshed Marker informed her that the situation was not favourable due to massive conflict in the region.
“I had asked the Prime Minister that I can resign from my ministry if it’s impeding my way to Bosnia. She said your life is very important and I am concerned that you are taking your family with you as well,” the WMA convener said.
The Prime Minister gave him the NOC after the confirmation of Pakistan’s Ambassador in Croatia, Salik said, adding, “I spoke to the Pakistani Ambassador in Croatia who was a lieutenant general and brave man. I told him that I have to fight for the rights and cause of my people and to protect my motherland from riots between Muslims and Christians. For that I am also a general for my people.”
The Ambassador in Croatia gave his consent and the PM allowed me to leave for Bosnia on December 20th, 1994, he added.
“Our plane was the first to land on Bosnia’s airport after 17 days as earlier a UN food plane was destroyed in a bombing and the UN was on protest to not fly any sorties further. But on our special request, they flew to Bosnia as we appealed that we want to reach on 25th December for a peace prayer. When we reached there was dark all over and the airport was covered with sandbags,” J. Salik said.
The delegation then boarded on a tank and went through the city of Bosnia and reached a church where the bishop was holding a prayer. “When he was informed that Pakistan’s federal minister Julius Salik has arrived to express solidarity with them. All of them got tears in their eyes,” he said.
“We had taken some sweets and other items with us to distribute among the children and went to a hospital to inquire about the health of the war wounded children and people. We also tried to give them some money but they refused to take it and accepted the sweets only.”
The former federal minister proudly claimed that he was least bothered about his ministry, rank, status and future during his visit to Bosnia rather upheld his cause for humanity and peace at all costs.
“I celebrated my Christmas as a minister with Bosnian children and the next Christmas with Kashmiri children in a refugee camp. I am thankful to my Lord Almighty that he blessed me with great honour and respect for my efforts to serve His cause of becoming support for others,” he added.