Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday led a massive rally on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal and called on Pakistanis to take to the streets on October 7 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The “Gaza Solidarity March,” according to a party press release, saw participants chanting slogans against Israel and its allies while carrying banners and placards. People from all walks of life joined the event, forming a human chain to express support for Palestinians.
In his address, Rehman said any deviation from Pakistan’s traditional stance on Palestine, established by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, would not be tolerated. He recalled that the Muslim League passed two historic resolutions on March 23, 1940 — one for Pakistan and another in support of Palestine.
Declaring Hamas the sole leadership of Gaza, he urged the government to officially recognise it and warned authorities against joining the Abraham Accords.
The JI chief accused Israel of military failure, saying Hamas continued to resist and Israel had been unable to secure the release of its soldiers.
He described Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement acting within the UN Charter and criticised Pakistan’s ruling elite for avoiding its name due to pressure from the US and Israel. He further demanded the opening of Hamas offices in Pakistan and urged the government to abandon “hypocrisy and double standards.”
Rehman also denounced the United Nations as an agent of Western powers, arguing that it had failed to protect Muslim nations. He said October 7 symbolised global resistance and urged Pakistanis to join international demonstrations that day.
The rally took place against the backdrop of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, where more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Recent developments include UN investigators accusing Israel of genocide and Israeli forces arresting aid activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla, among them former JI senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.
