Amid calls for demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine, several political parties and groups have called for nationwide rallies after the afternoon prayers on Friday.
The Gaza Strip is being bombed by the Israeli military after the Hamas group launched a surprise offensive on Saturday. Israel has put Gaza — home to 2.3 million people — under siege while local authorities said more than 1,500 Palestinians had been killed.
It has vowed to annihilate Hamas but a ground invasion of Gaza poses serious risk with Hamas holding scores of hostages kidnapped in the assault. Public broadcaster Kan said the Israeli death toll had risen to more than 1,300.
After Israel’s military called for all civilians of Gaza City — more than one million people — to relocate south within 24 hours on Friday, the UN urged Tel Aviv to call off the order, warning of the “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
Today, the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) called for a “protest demonstration” outside various mosques across Karachi after afternoon prayers.
In a statement, it said it would protest “against the massacre of the oppressed Palestinian people and the Zionist occupation of the Palestine land”.
Listing two of the locations, it said one demonstration would be outside Khoja Isna Ashri Jamia Masjid in Kharadar at 1pm while the other would be at Imam Bargah Noor-e-Iman in Nazimabad at the same time.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference earlier this week, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq had announced nationwide rallies today in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
One of the protest locations specified by the party for today is Jamia Masjid e Shuhada at Lahore’s Mall Road.
He had said that an “Aqsa March” would be held in Karachi on Sunday, adding that the party would also host a national conference on the Palestine issue in Islamabad on October 17.
The JI chief had also held meetings with religious scholars, urging them to raise awareness among the people regarding the crisis in Palestine.
In a video statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) last night, Haq emphasised that the matter was of “the oppressor and the oppressed and the humanity”, calling on people to participate in demonstrations today.
In another post, the party had shared that the JI emir met Zoë Ware, a political counsellor at the British High Commission in Islamabad, and discussed various issues, including that of Palestine.
Rallies held in KP
Meanwhile, protests rallies were held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Malakand and Hazara divisions against Israeli atrocities in Gaza Palestine. Rallies were held in Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram and Swat.
The Karakoram Highway was blocked in Kohistan and a rally was staged against Israel’s actions in Gaza and demanded that the United Nations stop the genocide of Palestinians.
Rallies also held in Mansehra of Hazara division after Friday prayers.
PTI ‘denied’ permission for rally
The PTI has also decided to mark today as “Palestine Solidarity Day” across the country, seeking permission from the Islamabad deputy commissioner to hold a public gathering in front of the National Press Club.
However, in a post on X today, the PTI claimed that the local administration had refused to give the permission.
In a video shared by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh on Thursday, he expressed solidarity with Palestinians and called on the public to head to the streets in major cities after the Friday afternoon prayers.
The same day, a party counsel had contended before the Peshawar High Court that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was not allowing the PTI to stage a demonstration in favour of the oppressed Palestinian citizens.
Separately, a gathering is also planned by the civil society outside the Karachi Press Club at 4pm on Sunday.
