KARACHI ( WNAM REPORT ): Tens of thousands of Pakistanis filled the streets of Karachi on Sunday to denounce Israel’s war in Gaza and voice solidarity with besieged Palestinians.
Participants in the Gaza Solidarity March packed the city’s main Shara-e-Faisal Road in the heat, waving Palestinian flags and holding portraits of Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Al-Sinwar, two top officials in Palestinian resistance group Hamas who were killed last year. Their images, flashing the victory sign, were also displayed on utility poles.
Symbolizing children killed in Gaza, dozens of dolls wrapped in white shrouds lined the pavement.
Thousands of women, many veiled and carrying children, joined the rally organized by Jamaat-e-Islami, a major religiopolitical party. Members of Christian and Hindu communities also took part.
Banners reading “Stop bombing Gaza,” “Down with Israel,” and “Gaza genocide – Shame on the Muslim world” covered the area.
A 100-foot-long Palestinian flag, carried by students, was a focal point of the rally.
The crowd chanted “Labbaik ya Gaza” and “Labbaik ya Aqsa” – “Gaza, we are here” and “Aqsa, we are here,” referring to Jerusalem’s iconic mosque – as party leaders, including Jamaat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, formed a human chain.
“Palestinians will never surrender to subjugation,” Rehman said. Organizers claimed over 100,000 people took part.
Demonstrator Ali Mustafa, holding a sign reading “Liberation or martyrdom,” said Karachi – Pakistan’s largest city – and the entire country would always stand with Palestinians.
Christian leader Younas Sohan condemned global powers for supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza, accusing them of enabling attacks on civilians, hospitals, and shelters.
Nearby, thousands attended a Palestine Solidarity Conference organized by Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), another religiopolitical group.
JUI chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman called Israel a “terrorist state” and accused the US and several European countries of aiding Israeli war crimes.
Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has killed nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
