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The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) held a protest criticising the stance of the interim government in Pakistan on the situation in Gaza, Dawn News reported on Monday, adding that thousands of protesters gathered on the streets in support of Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas.
The report stated the JI mobilised a massive crowd of protesters at Embassy Road, including people from different walks of life including workers and teachers. JI chief Emir Sirajul Haq lamented the interim government not being proactive amid the situation in Gaza, the report stated, adding that the protesters also questioned the inaction of Muslim rulers saying that the Ummah "would not forgive the rulers of the Islamic world if they failed to take practical steps to safeguard the people of Palestine". He also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, demanding that the US withdraw its support for Israel. "Israel's violation of all international laws and norms and its defiance of the UN General Assembly's call for a ceasefire has been further aggravated by the launch of a ground assault on Gaza," he said. He expressed concern over the mounting death toll, pointing out the disruption of internet services in the besieged region, according to the report. Further, according to Dawn News, the party had planned to hold the demonstration outside the US embassy, but the venue was changed after the district administration arrested about 20 party workers on Saturday. Criticising the administration's crackdown against JI workers, Haq said the government was "frightened when we announced the march in front of the US Embassy" and called it "unfortunate". "I want to ask who do you want to make happy. It was impossible for us to withdraw the call of the march," he said, claiming that the police "brutally tortured" several JI workers. The JUI-F's protest in Quetta was also addressed by the party's emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman. He said the US was "no longer a superpower" and the government should remove the "shackles of US slavery and stand up against it". "Why aren't our leaders openly declaring support for the Muslims of Gaza," he asked, addressing the gathering at Ayub Stadium. "If our rulers continue to show cowardice today, then the Pakistani nation will stand against its rulers," he said. He also stressed the need to convene a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to adopt a new stance in accordance with the evolving situation in Gaza. Hamas leader Naji Zaheer also addressed the event saying the people of Palestine would not surrender and would fight for a separate state. (ANI)
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