Tensions erupted at the Asma Jahangir Conference (AJCONF2026) in Lahore when Ali Abdullah Khan, president of the Progressive Students’ Collective (PSC), confronted German Ambassador Ina Lepel over Germany’s role in Gaza. 


PSC is a left-wing, independent student organization in Pakistan that brings together students from various institutions to educate and organize around critical social and political issues.

During a session on disability rights held on 7th and 8th Feburary, Abdullah challenged Lepel: “Genocide is going on in Gaza over 12,000 children have been disabled by your country. You have to answer this before you start speaking.” Lepel dismissed the question, while the moderator suggested he wait until the end. Abdullah refused, chanting: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” before being asked to leave.

The AJCONF, a two-day forum titled “Erosion of Fundamental Rights and Resistance Across Borders”, organized with the Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council, aimed to provide an uncensored platform for discussion on critical human rights issues. The event brought together senior high court justices, international jurists, journalists, media experts, and activists.

The clash ignited a firestorm of reactions online. Many praised Abdullah’s courage: “Her flabbers were gasted, bro! Good job,” wrote one user, while another commented, “We love to see. Well done PSC for raising the question.” 

Others highlighted the hypocrisy of allowing speakers from countries implicated in human rights abuses: “Shame on the organizers for inviting funders and enablers of genocide to speak on human rights,” and “The audacity of lecturing on rights while funding a genocide hope she carries this message home.”

Some criticized Abdullah’s approach: “Your method was wrong. Everyone should have a chance to speak after each segment,” and “The German ambassador is just one person; she doesn’t make foreign policy.” Others offered a more realist perspective: "In the world of politics, only self-interest matters. National interest. Purely national interest."

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Germany supplied around 30 percent of Israel’s arms between 2019 and 2023, approving €326.5 million in military exports in 2023 alone a tenfold increase from 2022. Since 2003, Germany has exported over €3.3 billion worth of military equipment, including naval vessels used in attacks and blockades in Gaza.