KARACHI: Thousands rallied on Sunday in Pakistan’s commercial capital of Karachi to protest one year of Israeli invasion of Gaza, calling for an end to the Palestinian “genocide.”
The rally, organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party and supported by the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other organizations in the Sindh province, called on the international community to immediately stop Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 last year, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has since killed 41,825 people, the Palestinian health ministry says.
“A genocide of Palestinians is ongoing at the hands of Israel, with thousands killed in Israeli strikes that have persisted for the past year,” JI chief Naeem-ur-Rehman said, while addressing the rally that was also attended by a significant number of women and children.
“We condemn Israel for its inhumane behavior, brutalities and plans for expansion. The Israeli leadership has once again revealed its expansionist agenda, presenting a new map that challenges the sovereignty of various countries, while the United Nations has failed to intervene.”
Rehman paid a tribute to the people of Gaza for their steadfastness in the face of Israeli brutality and “crimes against humanity,” asserting: “This is a legitimate struggle according to the United Nations charter.”
PPP’s Nisar Khuhro condemned Israeli strikes on Gaza and called on the global community and the UN to “act responsibly.”
“This gathering sends a powerful message to the Muslim world as well, warning that if a joint strategy is not developed, Muslim countries may face attacks one after another,” he said.
Bushra Abdul Ghafoor, a student at the rally, expressed her solidarity with the Palestinians, saying that the gathering in Karachi would not go unnoticed.
“As a Muslim nation, we must support each other,” she said.
Iqra Khan, another participant, emphasized the need for unity among the Muslim world.
“Our aim is to achieve the liberation of Palestine as they face significant oppression,” she told Arab News. “God willing, this struggle will continue until Palestine is free.”
Speaking to Arab News, PPP leader Waqar Mehdi called on the Muslim world and all nations to oppose the atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine.
“Jamaat-e-Islami is holding a significant rally and we stand in solidarity with them,” he said.
Aamir Nawaz Warraich, president of the Karachi Bar Association, said the Pakistani legal community’s position on the Palestine issue was clear and the attacks and atrocities against the Palestinians must be stopped.
“All international stakeholders — whether from England, America, Germany, or elsewhere — should play their roles in ending this situation,” he said.
Warraich lamented the “inadequate response” from the global legal forums on the Palestinian “genocide.”
“If they do not take action, they will be complicit in this oppression, as everything is occurring under their watch,” he added.
 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal government has constituted an inquiry committee to probe the use of resources of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government for this week’s protest by former prime minister Imran Khan’s party in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday.
Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Friday marched toward Islamabad from different parts of the country, mainly the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to protest the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that it claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, the government denies this. They also aimed to mount pressure for the release of their leader who is in jail since August last year.
Clashes erupted as police tried to prevent the protesters from entering the Pakistani capital, with federal officials accusing KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of firing tear gas at police while leading caravans of protesters from the neighboring province ruled by the PTI. They said Gandapur was accompanied by serving police officers as well as heavy machinery to remove road blockades.
“An inquiry committee is hereby constituted to probe the use of government resources and manpower by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in the rally, for sit-in at Islamabad, by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on 4th and 5th October 2024,” the Pakistani interior ministry said in a notification.

The three-member committee comprises Additional Interior Secretary Riffat Mukhtar, Additional Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Munir Masood Marath, and a representative of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), according to the notification.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday evening and praised him, the Islamabad administration, and police for maintaining law and order in the capital, despite two days of clashes that killed at least one policeman and injured dozens of others, and prompted authorities to seal almost all roads and suspend mobile phone services.
Federal authorities said on Sunday they had rounded up nearly 900 protesters, while there had been no clue of the whereabouts of CM Gandapur, who led thousands to Islamabad, since arriving in the capital on Saturday. The PTI said Gandapur had been “kidnapped,” and that police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at its supporters in “excessive” use of force.
Khan’s party says it is facing an over-year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the PTI attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.