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’
Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months
- Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
- Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025
KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline.
Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday.
“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X.
Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026.
He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.
He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt.
The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025.
“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote.
Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
