KARACHI: Pakistani fashion designer Emraan Rajput has said the idea to pay tribute to the Palestinian people amid the ongoing war in Gaza came from ‘home’ where his children had been actively discussing the conflict and had boycotted their favorite restaurant, a global fast-food joint, because it supported Israel.

At one of Pakistan’s most prestigious fashion events, the annual Bridal Couture Week, held last week, Rajput’s models wore the palestinian keffiyeh scarves, which have become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause as Israel continues its aerial and ground offensive in Gaza.

Showstopper Ahsan Khan, a famous Pakistani actor, host and model, walked down the ramp for Rajput, holding a placard that said: “For every child. For every home. Peace for Palestine.”

“Our aim was to send out a message of peace. It was in my mind for a long time and I was thinking of doing it in a very different way,” Rajput, an award-winning menswear designer, told Arab News in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.

The inspiration came from his two daughters, Rajput said, who were six and eight years old but acutely aware of and actively discussing the war in Gaza and its human cost, with nearly 20,000 Palestinians killed since early October.

“They [my daughters] have boycotted an eatery they used to go to regularly ever since this happened. People say, ‘It starts from home,’ so I got it from my children,” he said, declining to name the restaurant.

Unlike other designers who were afraid to speak for causes and viewed Bridal Couture Week purely from a commercial perspective, Rajput said he was not afraid to take a stand.

“My team and I decided that we will pay tribute to Gaza during the showcase,” he added.

“First, we thought every model should hold a placard but then that would have been very difficult. We spoke to Ahsan Khan and he was willing to come onboard. We are thankful to him as well as the models and organizers of the show. None of them gave us a hard time pertaining to this [idea to pay tribute to Palestinians].”

Since the show took place last week, Rajput said he has received messages of support on social media from Japan, China, Singapore, America, Canada, Europe, Australia, North America, Middle East and even Russia. Videos of Rajput’s ramp show were also widely shared on Pakistani mainstream and social media.

“They shared our stories on social media, and discussed us on Twitter … it is still going on,” said Rajput.

Whoever could raise their voice for Gaza needed to do it in a “positive way,” he added:

“Palestinians are our brothers, being a Muslim and being nice human beings, no matter which religion you belong to … I pray that the atrocity ends and people can live with their loved ones in peace. I am not in favor of the war.”