KARACHI: Tens of thousands marched across Pakistan against a series of Israeli air raids on civilian targets in Gaza killing and wounding several hundred Palestinian men, women and children over the past few days.
Protests were held in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Multan, Hyderabad and other cities on the call of Milli Yakjehti Council, a conglomerate of Sunni and Shia schools of thought.
In Islamabad, thousands rallied at the capital’s famous D-Chowk, less than a mile away from the Parliament House, to express solidarity with Palestinians. Carrying Palestinian flags, banners, and posters, the protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans.
In Karachi, Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) took out a rally from Numaish traffic intersection which culminated at the Karachi Press Club. Several cars were decorated with Palestinian flags, while angry protesters also burned Israel and United States flags.
Speaking to the protesters, Shia Ulema Council’s Allama Nazir Abbas Taqvi said that the illegitimate state of Israel was created on May 14 and May 16 was the day when the US recognised it.
Former Karachi deputy mayor and Pak Sarzameen Party leader Arshad Vohra stressed the need for unity in the Muslim world. He said it was condemnable that some countries were criticising the retaliatory attacks by Hamas against Israeli aggression.
The tensions that began in Ramadan in East Jerusalem spread to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
