LAHORE: A student organization blocked the road leading to the United States Consulate in Lahore on Tuesday, protesting the American support for Israel’s war in Gaza by making fiery speeches for several hours and chanting pro-Palestine slogans.
The Progressive Students’ Collective (PSC) is a student-led movement in Pakistan which has staged protests in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, including disrupting a speech by the German ambassador to the country last week.
Both students and civil society activists highlighted the “glaring hypocrisy” of western nations like the United States and Germany, saying they raised human rights concerns in the developing states while staying silent about the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
A media statement issued by the PSC advocated for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and its powerful state and corporate funders while highlighting the Palestinian rights to resist, right and self-determination.
There were hundreds of Palestinian flags and people wearing keffiyeh, chanting slogans in favor of intifada and revolution.
“When looking at atrocities being committed across the globe, [we have to ask] who is enabling them,” 23-year-old Ali Raza, who delivered the opening address at the protest, told Arab News. “It is on American shoulders that Israelis put their weapons before firing them at Palestinians.”
He went on to describe Israel as a “proxy state,” policing the Middle East for “western imperial powers.”
Raza, the former PSC vice president, said the students chose the US consulate as the venue for protest because since it was the largest state funder of Israeli occupation.
Earlier, the told the gathering the US monitored freedom of expression across the world, but police officers retrain American university professors by force who speak up for Palestinian rights, adding that was what hypocrisy looked like.
At the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore last Saturday, the current PSC spokesperson, Ali Abdullah Khan, protested against the German ambassador’s speech and disrupted him while he was discussing civil rights in South Asia.
“We protested against him, protested against his invitation [to the conference],” he told Arab News.
Khan said the students’ collective wanted to make Pakistan an important part of the global student-led BDS movement against Israel.
He pointed out the PSC wanted to show solidarity with the students who were being expelled from Columbia University in New York for protesting against the Israeli occupation.
“We support the Palestinian right to resist, we support the Palestinian right to return, we support the Palestinian right to self-determination,” Khan said in his speech to the demonstration. “We want to talk about putting an end to settler colonialism, putting an end to imperialism and we want to talk about a free and independent Palestinian state.”
Students in Lahore protest America’s ‘hypocritical’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza
https://arab.news/9uwbe
Students in Lahore protest America’s ‘hypocritical’ support for Israel’s war in Gaza
- Students say United States raises rights concerns everywhere without criticizing Israel for its occupation
- They block the road leading to the American consulate, make fiery speeches and chant slogans for hours
Pakistan deploys F-16 Block-52 jets to Saudi Arabia for multinational air combat exercise
- PAF joins US, UK, Gulf and European air forces in Spears of Victory-2026
- Deployment comes amid expanding Pakistan-Saudi defense cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force has deployed F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia to take part in the multinational air combat exercise Spears of Victory-2026, marking a significant overseas deployment of its frontline combat jets, the military said on Monday.
The exercise is being hosted at King Abdulaziz Air Base and includes participation from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Italy, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States, bringing together a wide range of advanced fighter aircraft and combat support elements.
Such multinational drills are designed to test air forces in complex, high-intensity scenarios, including large force employment, night composite air operations, integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and operations in advanced electronic warfare environments. For Pakistan, participation provides exposure to contemporary combat doctrines and interoperability with leading Western and regional air forces.
“Pakistan Air Force contingent comprising F-16 Block-52 fighter aircraft, alongside dedicated air and ground crew, has arrived at King Abdulaziz Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to participate in the multinational aerial combat Exercise Spears of Victory-2026,” a PAF spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement said PAF pilots flying F-16 Block-52 aircraft equipped with modern avionics and beyond-visual-range capabilities would be “pitched against aircrew of participating Air Forces operating a wide array of sophisticated combat aircraft” during the exercise.
It added that for the international deployment, “PAF fighter aircraft undertook a non-stop flight from their home base in Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the long-range operational reach and expeditionary capabilities of Pakistan Air Force.”
The air force said participation in the exercise reflects its intent to validate operational preparedness in a contested, technology-driven battlespace while enhancing interoperability and professional exchange with partner air forces.
The deployment comes amid deepening defense ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The two countries have expanded military cooperation through joint exercises, training exchanges and defense agreements in recent years, including a mutual defense cooperation pact signed last year.
Saudi Arabia remains one of Pakistan’s closest defense and security partners in the Middle East, with regular engagement across air, land and naval domains.
