ISLAMABAD: Thousands of supporters of Pakistani religious parties rallied on Sunday in the country's federal capital and the southwestern Quetta city to protest Israel's bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza, urging the Pakistani government to help stop the Israeli strikes.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party announced a march from Islamabad's famous Aabpara roundabout to the US embassy in the high-security diplomatic enclave, but the Islamabad administration told the party it could march from the Aabpara roundabout till Ataturk Avenue on Embassy Road, well away from the protected area.
In view of the protest, the US embassy issued an advisory for American citizens living in Islamabad and the surrounding area to "limit unnecessary travel," avoid large public gatherings and to exercise caution on Sunday.
Thousands of JI supporters, including women and children, marched for a couple of kilometers to reach the agreed venue of the rally. The participants held banners and placards with slogans opposing Israel and in solidarity with the Palestinians.
"Hundreds of thousands of people in Islamabad expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza. The hearts of the Pakistani nation beat with the hearts of the people of Palestine," JI chief Siraj-ul-Haq said, addressing the supporters.
"The Government of Pakistan, together with other Muslim and fair countries, should play its role in stopping the bombing of Gaza."
He vowed that his party would continue to raise its voice for the Palestinians.
In Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party held a massive rally, dubbed as ‘Toofan Al-Aqsa Conference.’
Speaking to supporters, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed their solidarity and support for the besieged residents of Gaza.
The developments came as the Israeli military intensified its strikes on Gaza from the land, air and sea, which began after more than 1,400 people were slain in Israel during a surprise incursion by Hamas militants on October 7, according to the Israeli government.
The Palestinian death toll passed 7,700, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 110 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and calls for a viable, independent, and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders, Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, and a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani urged the international community to pressure Israel into announcing an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.
His comments came as Gaza continued to be under a near-total communications blackout imposed since Friday night amid intense bombardment.
“In this hour of darkness we must not lose sight of the plight of innocent Palestinians,” Jilani wrote on social media platform X. “Pakistan calls on Int community to exert pressure on Israel to respect UN Res demanding an immediate cease-fire.”
