Human Rights Minister addresses at 6th Istanbul Security Conference
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari addressed the 6th Istanbul Security Council and talked about “Security in the Post Covid World and Transformation of Security Institutions “. In her statement, she highlighted that health of the pandemic are obvious enough. It has also severely and adversely impacted the global economy and the everyday life of individuals and nations. We had been reaping the benefits of interconnectedness. It has shown that no one is safe unless everyone is safe. She further highlighted multilateralism would help the complex challenge arising from COVID-19. However, when the crunch came each country was left to fend for itself, or chose to do so as a matter of deliberate policy. Countries and societies started turning inwards. The Minister pointed out that global crises should have brought humanity together. Instead, the pandemic has revealed the fault lines and accentuated existing and emerging threats to international peace and security. She also mentioned that rather than coming together and setting our differences aside, we are witnessing a global resurgence in tolerance, discrimination, racism and violence against monitories and other vulnerable groups in many countries accompanied by extreme nationalism, xenophobia and aggression. She also highlighted that prejudice, discrimination and violence against Muslims including Islamophobia is one of the manifestations of these extremist trends. Islamic shrines and holy places are being destroyed; our Prophet (PBUH ) insulted : the Holy Quran burnt-_perversely in the name of freedom of expression and opinion. The hypocrisy of Western states, especially some members of the EU, has become too overt to ignore. It is unfortunate that Islamophobia has become a political strategy for electoral and political gains and combating falling approval ratings. Dr. Shireen Mazari also stressed upon that Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on the General Assembly to declare an “International Day to Combat Islamophobia”. He has written to the leaders of Muslim states urging them to collectively take the lead in breaking the cycle of hate and extremism, and raise their voice against Islamophobia. She also maintained that in India human failing has become a national trait. We are witnessing the rise of the Hindutva extremism ideology under the RSS- BJP politico-religious combine. This has resulted in complicity of state institutions in acts of violence against Muslims, cow vigilantism, discriminatory policies and laws, vandalization of mosques and holy places, judicial cover to criminal acts, rising hate speech and crimes against Muslims, media propaganda and social media trolls. hatred against Muslims, branding them as spreaders of the diseases She further highlighted that COVID -19 pandemic has become just one more tool to promote hatred against Muslims, branding them as spreaders of the disease. Taking advantage of the world’s preoccupation with the COVID-19 pandemic, and to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir ( IIOJK), the BJP government has introduced illegal domicile rules in IIOJK in a bid to change the disputed region’s demography to advance its Hindutva agenda through a demographic assault. Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari concluded with remarks that world today is confronted with multiple global challenges: the COVID crises, resurgence of old and emergence of new conflicts, extremism state backed ideologies and renewed competitions across frontiers. We cannot meet these challenges without multilateralism cooperation and solidarity. Dated: 05.11.2020