KARACHI: A large number of students, mostly schoolchildren, marched on Shahrah-i-Quaideen on Wednesday to express solidarity with Palestinian children as more than 4,000 of them had lost their lives in Gaza due to ruthless Israeli bombing.

The march, organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami, echoed with pro-Palestinian slogans with children carrying coffins, banners and placards depicting Israeli massacre in Gaza.

The children were also carrying artworks highlighting Israeli brutalities.

Addressing the participants, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman shed light in detail on the spirit of Muslim Umma and hypocrisy of rulers in Muslim world. He said that some two billion Muslims live on the globe with strong armies, weapons and even nukes.

“But, despite all the might, Muslim rulers and generals have lost their weight just because of their coward nature and selfishness.”

On the other hand the Western governments had sided with Israel openly despite all its crimes against humanity in Gaza and other parts of Palestine, he added.

However, he lauded the people of conscience, who have been protesting against Israel across the world.

He said that Israel was an illegitimate and terrorist state enjoying the naked support of the United States just to further its political agenda in the Middle East.

Journalists protest

Meanwhile, scores of journalists marched from the Karachi Press Club to Governor House, condemning Israeli atrocities in Gaza in which dozens of journalists had been killed in a month long bombing.

The march, organised by the city’s media fraternity and supported by journalist bodies, including Karachi Union of Journalists, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and Karachi Press Club, asked the United Nations and human rights organisations to play their role in stopping Israel from the barbarism.

They also called for a UN commission to investigate the killings of journalists covering the war-hit area.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2023