As the carnage in Gaza drags on and the death toll climbs higher by the day, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) on Sunday turned up the heat, intensifying condemnations of Israeli aggression and announcing separate strikes and protest marches on April 22 and April 27, respectively, to build pressure.
Both religio-political parties held separate massive rallies in Karachi, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants to the streets.
JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, addressing a rally at Shahrah-e-Faisal, said that the party had already received endorsement from the Palestinian leadership, reached out to Islamic movements across the world and written to heads of Muslim states to transform the April 22 strike into a coordinated global protest.
Similarly, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while speaking at a massive rally at Shahrah-e-Quaideen, announced a "Million March" at Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan on April 27. He pledged that his party's struggle against Israeli aggression and in solidarity with the Palestinian people would continue until justice is served.
"Today's march is not the end but the beginning," Fazl declared. "This movement will continue. There will be a children's march, followed by the largest march in Pakistan's history in Multan on April 18 and in Islamabad on April 20."
JI's Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned that Pakistan's rulers would not be forgiven by history if they failed to take concrete, practical steps in support of Gaza.
He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the military leadership to convene a summit of Muslim world leaders and army chiefs to send a clear, united message to Israel: cease the genocide of Palestinians or face collective action.
He said letters had been sent to Muslim leaders across the globe, urging them to take joint steps.
He lamented the ineffectiveness of the United Nations, saying its role had "vanished," while Israel, backed by the United States, continued to bomb children with impunity. "The UN is only issuing toothless resolutions and statements," he said.
He called upon both Pakistan's military establishment and political leadership to spearhead global efforts. He urged them to bring together all like-minded nations and parties onto a single platform and formulate a unified international strategy to counter the "horrific bloodbath in Gaza".
Hafiz Naeemur Rehman encouraged people to contribute in any way possible and reminded them not to consider any act insignificant. "Every deed counts – be it a donation, a tweet, a video message, a phone call or any other effort."
Referring to international law, he maintained that armed resistance against occupying forces was entirely legitimate. "The armed resistance by Hamas against Israel," he said, "is fully legal under international norms."
Meanwhile, at JUI-F's rally, Maulana Fazlur Rehman issued a warning that "any attempt to recognise Israel or establish political or economic ties with it will be crushed".
He said that the party fully endorsed the fatwa of jihad against Israeli aggression recently issued by Muslim scholars. "The International Court of Justice has declared the Israeli prime minister a war criminal. He must be hanged," he said.
Calling support for Gaza a collective obligation, he emphasised the moral, diplomatic, and all other forms of backing the besieged population must receive. The rally venue was decorated with Palestinian flags as thousands chanted slogans against Israel.
Fazl, draped in the Palestinian flag, addressed the crowd from a grand stage erected for the occasion.
"This gathering today sends a message of courage to the Arab world and Gaza," he said. "The Palestinian people are not alonewe stand with them until the last drop of our blood."
He urged Muslim rulers to demonstrate honour and stand firmly with the Palestinians. "A million-strong crowd in Karachi is trying to awaken your conscience."
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