ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani religious party on Saturday announced its decision to stage a sit-in at a major traffic junction connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad to express solidarity with the people of Palestine and pressure the government to meet its demands regarding the ongoing war in Gaza.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), known for its hard-line stance on blasphemy laws, has previously staged sit-ins at the Faizabad Interchange.
The presence of large numbers of protesters in the area significantly disrupts traffic, forcing drivers to take longer, alternative routes between the two cities.
The TLP workers, led by their young leader Saad Rizvi, took out a protest rally from Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi to Faizabad before deciding to set up a protest camp at the interchange.
“We will stay here until our demands are met,” Rizvi was quoted as saying in a TLP statement.
“Our first demand is to send food and medical aid to the oppressed Palestinians,” he continued. “Our second demand is for the Pakistani government to announce a boycott of Israeli products on an official level. Our third demand is to declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a terrorist.”
The war in Israel began last October and has so far claimed the lives of about 39,000 people, mostly women and children.
While Pakistan’s civil society and political factions have consistently brought out pro-Palestinian rallies, it is not clear what prompted the TLP to initiate the sit-in nearly nine months into the war.
Pakistani religious party stages pro-Palestine sit-in at key Rawalpindi-Islamabad traffic junction
https://arab.news/zs73f
Pakistani religious party stages pro-Palestine sit-in at key Rawalpindi-Islamabad traffic junction
- Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan says it will stay at Faizabad Interchange until the governments meets its demands
- The party wants official boycott of Israeli products along with a proclamation declaring Netanyahu a terrorist
Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw
- Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
- Ties between Pakistan, Bangladesh have warmed up since last year and both nations have resumed sea trade
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider on Sunday met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, the latter's office said on, with the two figures discussing trade, investment and aviation.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024. Relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.
Pakistan has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months and both South Asian nations last year began sea trade, followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce.
"During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation as well as scaling up cultural, educational and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations," Yunus's office said in a statement on X.
In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. In Aug. this year, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.
The Pakistani high commissioner noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 percent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities, according to the statement.
He highlighted a significant increase in cultural exchanges, adding that Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Haider also said that Dhaka-Karachi direct flights are expected to start in January.
"Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the growing interactions between the two countries and emphasized the importance of increased visits as well as cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states," the statement read.
"Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade and expressed hope that during Mr. Haider’s tenure, both countries would explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses."
