Thousands rally in Islamabad for Gaza

JI, MWM stage separate protests to slam Israeli atrocities

ISLAMABAD:

Thousands took to the streets of Islamabad on Sunday to express their solidarity with Palestinians and condemn the Israeli atrocities.

The Jamaat-e-Islami and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) organised separate rallies to pay tribute to the bravery of the Palestinians in the face of the brutalities perpetuated by Israel.

JI chief Sirajul Haq pledged his unwavering solidarity with the Palestinians in his address to his party’s Gaza March. The JI staged the rally on Islamabad’s Embassy Road to protest Israel's bombing of Palestinians in Gaza.

Gaza is home to over two million people who have endured a relentless Israeli onslaught that claimed the lives of over 8,000 innocent civilians.

Siraj affirmed that as long as the US supported Israel, they would stand by the people of Gaza against the Zionist state. He congratulated the Gaza March participants, praising their dedication to the cause and emphasising the significance of their actions, which he described as a noble path ordained by the Almighty.

The JI chief further touched upon recent incidents involving their party activists in Islamabad in which they allegedly faced mistreatment and violence.

He mentioned the names of Kashif Chaudhry, Nasrullah Randhawa, and other activists who had reportedly been subjected to baton charge. He alleged that the JI’s political posters were torn on the streets of Islamabad, raising questions about the motivations behind such actions.

Siraj pointed out that even the UN had recognised that Israel was occupying Palestinian lands.

He added that the Zionist state did not even care about the ceasefire resolution passed by the UN General Assembly.
The JI regretted that the rulers of the Islamic world were looking towards Washington instead of interpreting the sentiments of the Muslims.

Concluding his address, Siraj announced that a Gaza March would be staged in Lahore on November 19. He maintained that a million Pakistanis would participate in Lahore’s march to express solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Additionally, JI's Information Secretary Qaiser Sharif disclosed that the party’s Islamabad chief Nasrullah Randhawa and other activists, who were detained on Saturday for refusing to relocate from the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad where they were gearing up for Sunday’s Gaza March before the US embassy, had been released.

He added that the items confiscated in connection with the Gaza March – including a platform, sound systems, and other equipment -- were returned by the Islamabad administration.

The JI chief resolved that such actions by the government would not prevent them from expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in his telephonic address to participants said he saluted the people of Pakistan on behalf of the Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, for staging the massive rally.

Separately, MWM chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas Jafferi, while speaking at the rally organised by his party, said Israel had intensified its bombardment of Gaza and its ground forces were expanding operations on the besieged enclave.

He regretted that the whole world was shamelessly watching this cruelty and brutality.