KARACHI: Hundreds of Pakistani journalists marched with their families in the southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday to protest against the killings of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli military in Gaza.
According to the international non-profit organization Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 36 journalists and media workers have lost their lives since Israel started pounding Gaza with airstrikes on Oct. 7. Israeli forces have also killed several family members of Palestinian journalists as it wages a war that has primarily targeted women and children in the densely populated area.
The Gaza Solidarity March was organized by several journalist bodies in Karachi. Hundreds of men, women and children angrily chanted slogans and held placards as they walked from the Karachi Press Club to the Sindh Governor House in the metropolis.
Some of the placards were inscribed with messages such as, ‘End the Targeting of Journalists,’ ‘The Truth Cannot Be Silenced by Journalists’ Deaths,’ ‘Western human rights discourse is buried under the rubble in Gaza,’ and many others decrying the silence of the world amid increasing hostilities in Palestine.
“They [Palestinian journalists] are being attacked for exposing the brutality of Israel and Israel’s intent is clear: to shoot the messenger,” G.M. Jamali, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) told Arab News.
Journalists hold placards during a rally in support of Palestinians, in Karachi on November 8, 2023. (AN Photo)
Jamali called on the international federal of journalists to pressure the Israeli government to stop attacking journalists.
A.H. Khanzada, PFUJ’s secretary-general, called out the western media’s “double standards” in covering Israel’s war in Gaza.
“The journalists from the west come and lecture us on media ethics,” Khanzada told Arab News. “But when it comes to covering conflicts involving Israel, they forget to follow those rules.”
More than 10,300 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian officials, with the majority of them being women and children. At least 58 percent of all residential units in Gaza have been damaged, or 212,000 homes, officials say.
Without fuel and electricity, hospitals have been working on solar-powered generators. Hundreds of thousands remain at risk of diseases amid a severe shortage of medicines and relief items in the territory.
Journalists hold placards during a rally in support of Palestinians, in Karachi on November 8, 2023. (AN Photo)
Karachi Press Club President Saeed Sarbazi blamed American and Israeli leaders for the killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
“The United States and some self-proclaimed Muslim countries, through their criminal silence, have empowered Israel to perpetrate ruthless acts against unarmed Palestinians with impunity,” he said.
Senior journalist Nadra Mushtaq said journalists worldwide should consider it their duty to highlight “Israeli brutality” against the people of Palestine.
“We Pakistani journalists stand by our Palestinian fellows, who have shown immense courage to the world,” she said. Mushtaq said journalists’ lives should be protected so that they can perform their duties.
“We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues,” she said.
Journalists hold placards during a rally in support of Palestinians, in Karachi on November 8, 2023. (AN Photo)
Journalists hold placards during a rally in support of Palestinians, in Karachi on November 8, 2023. (AN Photo)
