A dignified ceremony was held in Islamabad to mark the 31st anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, observed in connection with the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration.
The event reaffirmed the commitment to preserving historical truth, promoting justice and strengthening the enduring friendship between Pakistan and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of State for Law and Justice and Member of the National Assembly Barrister Aqeel Malik, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Pakistan Emin Cohodarevic, Senator Faisal Saleem, Director General (Europe) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shehbaz Khokhar, diplomats from various countries, prominent business figures, journalists, members of civil society and other distinguished guests.
As the chief guest, Barrister Aqeel Malik paid tribute to the victims of the Srebrenica genocide and said the tragedy of 1995 remains a wound on the conscience of humanity that has yet to heal. He said Pakistan will never forget the suffering and sacrifices of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and will continue to support peace, justice, tolerance, human rights and the rule of international law.
He added that crimes such as genocide require a united global response against hatred, extremism, religious intolerance and racial discrimination so such tragedies are never repeated anywhere in the world.
Ambassador Emin Cohodarevic also paid tribute to the martyrs of Srebrenica, saying that in July 1995 more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically killed, an act recognised as genocide by international courts. He said Srebrenica is not only Bosnia’s tragedy but a shared responsibility of humanity to remember and prevent such crimes.
The ambassador expressed gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for their humanitarian, diplomatic and moral support during Bosnia’s difficult times. He also acknowledged Pakistan’s role in the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly resolution in May 2024, declaring July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide.
Speakers said the Srebrenica genocide was the worst mass killing in Europe since World War II, in which over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were murdered solely on the basis of their religious and ethnic identity. They noted that despite United Nations Security Council resolutions, the people of Srebrenica were not given the protection they had hoped for.
They added that both the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice formally recognised the atrocity as genocide.
Participants reaffirmed their commitment to promoting global peace, justice, tolerance, interfaith harmony and human dignity, stressing that preserving the memory of genocide victims and passing historical truth to future generations is a shared responsibility of the international community.
