ISLAMABAD: The chief of Pakistan’s main religious-political party, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam F (JUI-F), said on Monday the JUI-F and other religious parties would stage a protest rally in solidarity with Palestinians at the iconic Minar-e-Pakistan monument in Lahore on Apr. 27.

The move follows a Gaza Solidarity March organized by another religio-political party, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), on a main road connecting Islamabad and Rawalpindi last week that was attended by thousands. 

“A very big rally will be held at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on Apr. 27 along with a protest,” JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday at a press conference in Lahore alongside JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman.

“We all will participate along with other religious parties. We are forming a new platform now by the name of Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Ummat.”

He also said nationwide awareness campaigns would be launched by the platform to boycott Israeli products.

Separately, the JI has announced a nationwide strike on Apr. 26 in solidarity with Palestine and urged citizens to boycott brands that support Israel amid its ongoing military offensive in Gaza.

Pakistan does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and has for decades condemned its military actions in Gaza.

Islamabad has called for the immediate resumption of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave and a revival of negotiations toward a two-state solution. The country has long supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

Since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its latest military assault on Gaza, more than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 116,000 injured.