On January 25, 2009, Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Minhaj Welfare Foundation jointly organized a Gaza Conference in the central secretariat of MQI. Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan, His Excellency Mr. Jaser Ahmad, graced the occasion as the guest of honour. Due to participation of central leaders of different religious and political parties and broad-based representation of almost walks of life, the conference turned into an All-Parties Conference (APC). This was the first rare occasion when 170 million people of Pakistan expressed their solidarity with their Palestinian brethren from the platform of Minhaj-ul-Quran International. The proceedings of the conference got under way with the recitation from Holy Quran followed by the presentation of Naat.

Addressing the conference telephonically from Canada, Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri said that it was a matter of great regret that the UN is not able to stop the aggression. He said that the US vetoed 289 resolutions from 1972 to 2008 out of which 107 resolutions were meant to protect Israeli aggression against Palestine. The US administration protected and encouraged Israeli aggression on the hapless Palestinians through these vetoes. Bush administration used the veto power 11 times in 2008 in addition to the vetoing of the recent resolution presented in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). He said that more than 1.5 billion Muslims were helpless before Israel.

Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri advised the Muslim Ummah to forge unity in their ranks and not to bank on the UN and Security Council for resolution of their disputes. Now even a small hint of potential attack from the adversary would lead countries to use pre-emptive strike.. Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that the ruling elites in the Muslim world would have to rise above their personal interests and take collective decisions. Only in this way would peace be established in Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan, deterring the aggressors from committing aggression against the Islamic countries.

In his address to the conference, Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Jaser Ahmad, said that he was immensely indebted to the Pakistani people, religious and political organizations who showed their solidarity with the oppressed Muslims of Gaza. He said “The indifference and passivity of the Muslim rulers and world powers over the Israeli terrorism and barbarism was regrettable.” Israel did not spare even the children, women and the old. No law of the world allows the killing of innocent people, he said. Hospitals and worship places were also attacked. He demanded that Israel should be tried in International Court of Justice for its war crimes. He asked the media men, journalists, columnists, lawyers and intellectuals to continue their struggle for the independence of Palestine. Mr. Jaser Ahmad appealed to the media to start live appeals for financial support of the Palestinian brethren.

He said that Minhaj Welfare Foundation (MWF) had taken an appreciable initiative by holding Gaza Conference for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza, for which he expressed his gratitude to Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri and other leaders of MQI. He said that there was acute shortage of doctors and medicine in Gaza. He appealed to the Government of Pakistan and heads of other Islamic countries through Gaza Conference to extend their help in the relief work and guarantee that Palestinians would never be subjected to such cruelties again. He also demanded of the Government of Pakistan to provide C-130 plane for transportation of relief goods donated by various Pakistani organizations to Gaza.

Senator S.M. Zafar, chairman of Human Rights Committee and former federal law minister, said that Minhaj Welfare Foundation gave an opportunity to religious and political organizations of the country as well as other sections of society not only to demonstrate their solidarity with the suffering people of Gaza but also chart out coordinated course of action through the conduct of Gaza conference. He said that the use of Phosphorus bombs in the three-pronged attack on Gaza constituted the worst violation of the human rights. He said that Islam permitted Jihad only in defence and rebutted the idea of pre-emptive strike, whereas majority of Muslim countries had fallen victim to the policy of pre-emption. He said that the Muslim Ummah would have to make progress in the field of science and technology. "The powers that be of the Muslim world would have to take decisions with collective interest in mind," he concluded.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Secretary General of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) and former federal minister for Information and Media Development, said in his speech that the time had come that Palestinian and Kashmir disputes should be resolved. The Muslim countries would have to formulate policies with unanimity. He disclosed that the Israeli prime minister got the speech of President Bush halted during the Israeli barbarism on Gaza and asked him by way of order to veto resolution against Israel. He demanded of the rulers to present their case effectively before Barrack Hussain Obama and plug the gaps between West and the Muslims.

Former federal minister for religious affairs, Ijaz-ul-Haq, said in his talk that Bush condoned Israeli aggression on the Palestinians in the last days of power, while Barrack Obama started off in White House with drone attacks on the tribal areas of Pakistan. He said that it was matter of misfortune that the Muslim world could not be on the same page further weakened by mutual discords and rifts. If ten effective rulers of the strong Muslim countries were to tell Obama that we stood united, no one would dare cast an evil on the Muslim countries. He said that there was no role of OIC and the Arab League. "If the Muslim countries did not get together, their future would be bleak," he said.

Jahangir Bader, Secretary General of the ruling Pakistan People