KARACHI, Sept 14 Islamic scholars, academics and politicians at a conference on Palestine here on Monday severely criticised the Muslim World for not doing enough to highlight the issue.

The conference was organised by the Palestinian Liberation Front's Pakistan chapter and attended by Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, Dr Huma Baqai, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Allama Aquil Anjum and Munawar Naqvi. Mushaid Hussian Syed, Secretary-General of the Pakistan Muslim League, highlighted the historic ties between Muslims of South Asia and the Palestinian people, saying that the relations dated back to the 1920s when the All India Muslim League sent aid to Palestinians.

He also recalled that there were two points stressed by the Quaid-i-Azam when the Pakistan Resolution was passed on March 23, 1940 the first was that the Muslims of South Asia should be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination, and the second was support the Palestinian cause.

In a letter dated Sept 29, 1946 and addressed to the then prime minister of Britain, Clement Attlee, the Quaid demanded a curb on Israeli settlements. Referring to the support extended by the Pakistan government to the Arabs in the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, Mr Sayed said this was not only the vision of the founder of Pakistan towards Palestine, but also of the PPP government headed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He said that two Pakistan Air Force pilots had been sent to assist the Palestinians in the war.

Stressing that Pakistan was the first state to recognise the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) at the Islamic Summit conference held in Lahore in April 1974. Pakistan, Iran and Algeria were the only countries which pledged military support to the PLO, he added. Mr Sayed said that the PML supported the Palestinian cause and would therefore fully support the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) in its mission.

Endorsing Mr Sayed's remarks, PLF organiser Munawar Naqvi said it was the duty of every Muslim to endeavour for a solution to the Palestinian issue. He criticised the United States, Israel and certain other members of the international community, regretting that although accords were concluded, no progress had been made to give the Palestinian people their due rights.

Dr Huma Baqai, an academic at the Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, said that understanding the developments taking place in the region and writing about them were more important than holding conferences or chanting slogans. Stressing that the US wanted to divide the Muslim World, she suggested that the only way to prevent this was to understand the internal dynamics of the situation.

Prof Ghafoor Ahmed of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Arif Alvi of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Senator Mushahidullah, Allama Arif Anjum and others urged Muslim World leaders to stand up against the West and fight for the rights of Palestinians.

Osama Hamadan, the senior representative of Hamas, addressed the conference by telephone and spoke on the Al-Aqsa and Al-Quds issues, the Gaza crisis, future of the Palestinian nation and its expectations from Pakistan.

He thanked the people of Pakistan for their support to the Palestinian cause.