PESHAWAR: Thousands of Pakistanis, including students, activists and politicians, gathered on Sunday in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar to demand an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
The rally, called ‘Gaza Million March,’ was organized by the Jamat-e-Islami (JI) religious party, which has held several protests and marches in recent months to condemn Israeli military actions in Palestine.
The war broke out after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,100 people. Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,456 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Speaking to participants of the rally, JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lamented that men, women, children, journalists and human rights activists had been killed in Palestine, but world leaders and rights groups remained silent.
“They want no one to raise their voice for Palestine or against [Israeli] oppression,” he said, adding, “For the freedom of Palestine, we will march in every street.”
Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party activists wave the Palestinian national flag alongside their party flag during an anti-Israel protest in Peshawar on May 19, 2024. (AFP)
Participants of Sunday’s rally said they had gathered to express solidarity with Palestinians and raise their voice against Israel’s actions.
“The reason for our assembly here is to show solidarity with Gaza,” said Amir Hamza, 24.
Mian Hafiz Naeem, another participant who came from the Balakot town, criticized Pakistani politicians “for not doing enough” on the Gaza situation.
“They are not realizing that not only Muslims, but humanity is being killed over there,” he said, adding that he came to attend the rally “for the sake of humanity.”
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and maintains its support for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.
Dr. Noreena Arshad, a resident of Peshawar who came to the rally along with her daughters, said she did not belong to any political group and came to the rally with the sole purpose of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
“I don’t belong to any political party or organization, but I am here to stand in solidarity with Gaza and Palestine,” she told Arab News. “This is the least of faith that we should believe at least in our hearts that they [Palestinians] are being oppressed.”
