KARACHI: Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, on Sunday marched in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi to express solidarity with the Palestinians and demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The march, organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious party, was attended by members of the civil society, professionals and a large number of families.
The participants carried placards and banners, and chanted slogans against Israel as they marched along Karachi’s Seaview beach.
“Palestinians have been facing a bloodshed, genocide, bombardment, death and hunger for the past 450 days,” JI Karachi Ameer Monem Zafar said, calling for a cessation of Israeli military actions.
“The tragedy that unfolded in Gaza has divided the world into two poles: the people of conscience and the followers of might.”
Israel began pounding Gaza since October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israeli attacks on Gaza have since killed 46,537 people, the majority civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
The South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
Zafar hailed the people of Karachi for their show of solidarity with the Palestinians, urging them to continue boycotting Israeli products.
“It’s an obligation for the [Pakistani] nation to take side with the oppressed Palestinians,” he added.
During the march, the participants chanted slogans against continuing Israeli military actions in Gaza and urged the world to ensure a ceasefire in the territory.
Former provincial health minister of Sindh, Saad Khalid Niaz, criticized Israel for bombing hospitals and schools in Gaza.
“For the first time in the history, hospitals were bombed to ashes in a conflict,” he said, adding that expressing solidarity with the Palestinians has become a national obligation.
Thousands march in Pakistan’s Karachi in solidarity with Palestinians, demand ceasefire in Gaza
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Thousands march in Pakistan’s Karachi in solidarity with Palestinians, demand ceasefire in Gaza
- The march, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami party, was attended by members of the civil society, professionals and common people
- Pakistan does not recognize Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on ‘internationally agreed parameters’
Thousands rally in Karachi after deadly mall fire, demand resignations and reforms
- Protesters cite fire that killed at least 67, blame civic failures, weak emergency response
- Rally adds pressure on Sindh’s ruling party amid anger over infrastructure and utilities
KARACHI: Thousands rallied in Karachi on Sunday demanding the resignations of local officials and systemic reforms following a devastating shopping mall fire that killed dozens last month.
The demonstration underscored deepening public anger over civic failures in Pakistan’s largest city.
Approximately 4,000 people marched under the slogan “Enough is enough” in a rally organized by the political Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
Demonstrators cited chronic water and power shortages, poor emergency services, and crumbling infrastructure as key grievances.
The blaze at the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in January, which left at least 67 dead and over 15 missing, has intensified scrutiny of the city’s disaster preparedness and governance.
The protest’s main speaker, Jamaat e Islami’s Karachi chief Munim Zafar, demanded immediate compensation for the victims’ families and affected businesses. He also accused the city’s administration of failing to provide basic utilities and competent emergency services.
“Our demand is clear: compensation for the families of those who died in the Gul Plaza incident, and compensation for the traders who suffered losses. They should be given alternative support to help them rebuild their businesses,” Zafar said.
He said Karachi’s residents were being denied basic services and protection, calling for the resignations of senior city and provincial officials:
“The people of Karachi deserve to live with dignity, but you’re not providing them with basic necessities like water and electricity. When there’s a fire, you’re incapable of rescue, and when it rains, the city is flooded. Our infrastructure is in shambles ... Karachi needs an empowered local government system.”
The protest increases political pressure on the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which governs Sindh province and Karachi.
City and provincial authorities have previously pointed to rapid urbanization and funding limits when addressing infrastructure issues.
The offices of Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and the Sindh government did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on demonstrators’ requests.
