Rattled by the carnage of innocent citizens in Gaza, veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan on Wednesday asked the Indian government to immediately suspend bilateral trade with Israel.
Khan, who is the Working President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard and also reminded the relationship that India enjoyed with Palestine.
Khan’s letter comes a day after the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing, which has left more than 500 people dead in Gaza.
Khan said that so far the Israel-Hamas war has claimed over 3,000 lives and injured over 10,000.
“Right from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Dr Manmohan Singh, the Indian government has had very good relationship with the leadership and people of Palestine. We always stood with them through thick and thin on humanitarian grounds,” the said.
Khan also pointed out the relationship of India with former Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman and Palestinian National Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
“The way Israel has bombarded Gaza with banned bombs killing innocent kids, women and thousands of people especially yesterday is a highly condemnable and shameful act,” he said.
Khan demanded that India must immediately stop all bilateral trade with Israel.
“This would be in accordance with the sentiments of crores of peace loving people of India,” Khan said in the letter to PM Modi.
He said that the United Nations itself is concerned over the shortage of food, medicines and relief material in Gaza Strip.
“India needs to help them at this time of crisis considering our historic relationship,” he said.
Published 18 October 2023, 18:13 IST