Pakistani student defends calling out German envoy over role in Gaza genocide
Ali Abdullah says he protested Gaza genocide, Germany’s diplomatic and moral support of and arms supply to Israel, and quelling of pro-Palestine protests
By Safeer Raza
LAHORE, Pakistan (MNTV) — A Pakistani student activist who confronted Germany’s ambassador at the Asma Jahangir Conference has defended the protest, arguing that officials from countries complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza should not be allowed to lecture on human rights without accountability.
Ali Abdullah, president of the Progressive Students Collective (PSC), told MNTV that the conference, named after prominent Pakistani human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, was expected to represent marginalized voices and challenge powerful actors, not provide platforms to enablers of mass atrocities.
“Asma Jahangir taught us that even in difficult conditions, we must stand with the oppressed and confront power without fear,” Abdullah said. “The least we expected were officials from countries complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza lecturing us on disability rights.”
He also criticized the presence of Pakistan’s Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, accusing him of enabling the controversial 27th constitutional amendment in what he described as an unlawful and anti-democratic manner.
Abdullah said his protest targeted Germany’s role as Israel’s second-largest arms supplier and its domestic crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. “Berlin alone has more than 9,000 criminal cases against peaceful protesters opposing Israel’s genocide,” he said, calling Germany’s actions a contradiction to its human rights rhetoric.
He questioned “moral bigotry” of a German official speaking on disability rights while Germany arms Israel, which was disabling and killing Palestinian children in Gaza. “They arm Israel and then come to countries like ours to lecture us on disability. That hypocrisy is indefensible,” he said.
Abdullah said conference organizers removed him after the confrontation and urged protesters to remain “calm and ethical,” which he described as infuriating given the scale of violence in Gaza.
“Where were those ethics when Israel was disabling children in Palestine and no one stopped it?” he said. “More than 70,000 people have been killed in this genocide, not even counting 70-plus years of occupation and violence.”
He vowed continued protests against diplomats from countries supporting Israel.
“We will behave the same way with any diplomatic official. This is the least we can do while they enable genocide with complete impunity,” Abdullah said. “They should not lecture us on human rights while people are being killed mercilessly.”
Incident at the conference
The protest occurred during a panel at the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore, where Abdullah confronted the German ambassador over Berlin’s political and military support for Israel. He accused Germany of funding the “disabling of children in Gaza” and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans before leaving the venue.
The envoy criticized the disruption, saying shouting was not dialogue, while organizers muted parts of the livestream during the exchange.
Germany’s role and international legal context
Germany has been one of Israel’s closest international allies, providing diplomatic backing and military exports since Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Germany accounted for about 30% of Israel’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023, second only to the United States. German authorities approved more than €326 million in military export licenses to Israel in 2023, a sharp increase from previous years.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have warned that continued arms transfers risk violating international law and could make Germany complicit in serious international crimes. Amnesty has called German arms exports to Israel “reckless and unlawful,” urging a comprehensive embargo.
In April 2024, Nicaragua filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Germany of facilitating genocide by supplying arms and political support to Israel. While the ICJ declined to impose emergency measures halting German arms exports, the case remains ongoing.
Separately, the ICJ ruled in January 2024 that South Africa’s genocide case against Israel is plausible and issued provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The United Nations and multiple U.N. agencies have reported mass civilian casualties, widespread destruction of infrastructure, forced displacement of Gaza’s population, and severe humanitarian conditions, with U.N. officials warning of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Broader political and public reaction
The Asma Jahangir Conference is an annual forum bringing diplomats, judges, activists, and policymakers together to discuss democracy and civil liberties. Abdullah said the protest reflected growing anger in Pakistan and across the Global South over Western support for Israel.
“The conference was supposed to be a voice for distressed people, not for those enabling oppression,” he said, accusing organizers of silencing dissent.
The Progressive Students Collective later criticized the conference organizers for what it described as prioritizing diplomatic decorum over confronting Israeli atrocities, arguing that accountability must be central to any genuine human rights dialogue.
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