Karachi (TDI): Thousands of protestors, including women and children, marched along Shahrah e Faisal on Sunday, expressing solidarity with Palestinians and urging decisive action from Muslim nations.
Organized by Jamaat‑i‑Islami (JI), the procession mobilized dozens of caravans from across the city, converging near the Nursery bus stop to form a massive rally. Participants travelled by motorbikes, cars, and buses, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards.
In his address, JI chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman said that any shift in Pakistan’s longstanding stance on Palestine would not be welcomed.
He said that Abraham Accords go against the wishes and aspirations of the Palestinian people, and warned that Pakistan should not enter into any such “normalization” agreement with Israel.
He insisted that Palestinians should get their separate state; for which they have been striving for decades, and a cause that Pakistan has historically supported.
He blamed the United States for being directly responsible for what is unfolding in Gaza – the genocide and ethnic cleansing.
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The JI leader also denounced the international system, particularly the United Nations, as ineffective and complicit, alleging it has functioned only as an enabler of US and Israeli interests.
Other speakers at the rally, including Dr. Osama Razi, Monem Zafar, and Advocate Saifuddin, echoed calls for solidarity with Palestinians.
The march happened as Trump’s peace plan on Gaza is being negotiated between Hamas and the mediators, with a fresh round happening in Egypt between Israeli and Hamas officials; as the latter have reservations regarding some parts of the proposed plan.
In Pakistan, Gaza solidarity marches and rallies have happened from time to time. This most recent demonstration rallied support around fears that the proposed plan might unfairly affect the aspirations of Palestinians, if it comes into effect.
Moreover, the public opinion in Pakistan is strongly against the Abraham Accords – aimed at normalization between Israel and Arab states; based on fears that such a normalization will stop the two-state solution from becoming a reality.
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