KARACHI: A rally organized by the student wing of a religious party in Pakistan’s southern Karachi port city on Saturday drew thousands of participants who marched toward the US Consulate to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza and advocate for an independent Palestinian state.
The rally attendees chanted slogans against the US and Israel while carrying Palestinian flags and large banners that read “Stop the Genocide in Gaza.”
Organized by the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, with affiliation with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, the march brought together students from various universities, professional education institutions and colleges.
The JI and its student wing have previously organized similar demonstrations to protest the war in Israel that has claimed nearly 38,000 lives, mostly women and children, since it began on October 7, 2023.
“The Pakistani student community and youth will not accept any two-state solution and will only accept an independent and sovereign Palestinian state,” said Hasan Bilal Hashmi, the top leader of the student wing in Karachi, during the rally, as per a press release.
Other participants praised the Palestinian resistance and expressed their continued support.
They highlighted that the JI student wing had supported Palestinians since the conflict began and called for the Muslim world to unite to help them.
Later, the marchers delivered a memorandum to the US Consulate, urging the American administration to cease its support for Israel.
This memorandum was signed by a number of students, including many who participated in the demonstration.
Thousands of students march in Karachi to protest Gaza war, demand independent Palestinian state
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Thousands of students march in Karachi to protest Gaza war, demand independent Palestinian state
- The rally, which was organized by the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, marched toward the US Consulate with Palestinian flags
- The participants said they did not believe in two-state solution and would only accept independent and sovereign Palestine
Pakistan’s deputy PM speaks with Iran, Türkiye after UN rights vote on Tehran
- Pakistan voted against UN rights council resolution seeking to expand scrutiny of Iran
- Dar discusses regional issues with Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan after World Economic Forum
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar held separate phone calls on Saturday with the foreign ministers of Iran and Türkiye, highlighting Islamabad’s growing diplomatic engagement on regional crises after backing Tehran at the United Nations Human Rights Council and amid wider discussions on Middle East stability.
Dar, who also serves as Pakistan’s foreign minister, spoke with Iran’s Seyed Abbas Araghchi after Islamabad voted against a resolution at the UN rights council in Geneva that sought to expand international scrutiny of Iran following a crackdown on anti-government protests that began last month and continued for several days.
“Foreign Minister Araghchi thanked DPM / FM for his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva,” the foreign office said in a statement after the phone call.
While the resolution was adopted, Iran rejected it as “politicized” and described the council’s action as interference in its internal affairs.
Dar later spoke by phone with Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with the two leaders reviewing developments following the World Economic Forum in Davos and agreeing to remain in close contact on key regional and international matters, the foreign office said.
Pakistan and Türkiye have increasingly coordinated diplomatic positions on regional issues, including Middle East tensions, as Islamabad positions itself as an active interlocutor in multilateral forums addressing conflict and humanitarian crises.
Iran’s foreign minister also conveyed appreciation to Pakistan’s prime minister, government and people for what he described as Islamabad’s principled stance, the statement added.
