Baku, February 28, AZERTAC

A seminar dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy has been held in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, jointly organized by the Eurasian Regional Center of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF-ERC), Pakistan Youth Advocacy Network (YAN), Quaide Azam University (Department of International Relations Islamabad) and “The Dayspring” media group as well as with the support of the embassy of Azerbaijan, accredited in Pakistan.

The seminar was attended by about 120 students, young scientists, and experts. Chairman of YAN and member of ICYF Board Fsahat Ul Hassan, noted that holding commemorative events in different cities of Pakistan has already become a tradition in connection with the Khojaly tragedy, at the same time, they expressed their hope that Azerbaijan will restore its sovereignty in the territory of Khojaly after the victory achieved in the 44-day war.

Khazar Farhadov, the ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, while delivering his speech, noted that "Pakistan holds a special place in the hearts of Azerbaijanis and that it is the first country that recognizes Khojaly tragedy as a genocide." In addition, the ambassador informed about the tragedy of Khojaly, called this incident a crime against humanity, regretted that the criminals still remain unpunished, and also wished for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict soon at basis of UN SC corresponding resolutions.

At the seminar, Salahuddin Chaudhry - former ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan, Syed Qandil Abbas - associate professor of Quaide Azam University, Asim Nawaz Abbasi- founder of Dayspirng media group, Mushal Malik - chairman of the Peace and Culture Organization and human rights defender, Musawar Tanoli - representative of the Young Diplomats Forum, described the Khojaly tragedy as a crime against humanity and they valued the activity of the Azerbaijani government, as well as the ICYF-ERC in the process of international recognition of the tragedy. In many speeches, a number of topical issues related to the policy of ethnic cleansing and the peacemaking process were touched. Pakistani speakers, especially one of the main speakers human rights defender Mushal Malik, spoke about the tragedy of Kashmir and the problems faced by Muslims living in this region, also made a comparison between the mentioned tragedies.

At the end, the participants of the seminar got acquainted with the photo exhibition depicting the Khojaly tragedy.

Pakistani youth have always defended Azerbaijan's fair position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict both at the national and international levels.