Hyderabad, June 23: The gathering at the Nizam Club was an unusual assortment of intellectuals, civil activists and bureaucrats as a representation from the Indo Arab League of Hyderabad discussed the position of the organisation with respect to recent world events.
The chief guest for the occasion, Ahmed Salem Al-Wahishi, who is the Chief Representative of the League of Arab States Mission elaborated on the stance of the organisation with respect to recent events in Asian politics, like the developments in Gaza and Palestine.
The League, which is the national representative for the Arab League with 22 member countries is, in the words of Al-Wahishi, “always engaged in strengthening bonds with other nations, including India, which has many citizens employed and in active duty in many of the Arab nations.”
Having played an important role in shaping school curricula and preserving Arab cultural heritage, the League has also launched literacy campaigns and reproduced intellectual and technical works for use among the member states. At the meet, Al-Wahishi noted that while the new presidency in the US tended a hand of friendship to the world, “the deep-reaching effects of the gesture would surely be felt in the Arab world, and the countries it deals with.”
Delving in the issue of the Palestine conflict, Al-Wahishi said that “this would be a time of anticipation, to forge new ties and hope for a steadfast solution to the conflict in the area, which has seen civilians being killed and maimed unabated.”
Incidentally, India had been inducted the position of an observer member in the Arab league in 2007, move which, though disallowing voting rights in the council, allowed for the Government to report their observations and advice. “The ties with India are significant for the economic growth of the nations, given the exchange of knowledge and resource that has been the mainstay of the Indo Arab League,” he observed. The meet came to a closure with Al-Wahishi saying that “the time is ripe for Asian and Middle Easter nations to work towards mutual help and prosperity.”
-Agencies–