Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called upon the international community to pressure Israel to halt its “oppression of Palestinians”, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

In his message on the International Al-Quds Day — observed on the last Friday of Ramazan to express solidarity with the people of Palestine struggling against Israeli occupation — the premier strongly denounced Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

The premier noted that more than 32,000 Palestinians, including 17,000 children, had been killed and 70,000 others injured since Israel launched its offensive in the Palestinian enclave in retaliation to the Oct 7 surprise Hamas attacks. Hospitals, refugee camps and children’s schools have deliberately been targeted and access to humanitarian aid has been blocked, he added.

PM Shehbaz regretted that despite the ceasefire resolution passed by the UN Security Council, the unprovoked bombing of innocent civilians in Gaza was still continuing, the report stated.

The prime minister asserted that Pakistan would continue to provide “moral and diplomatic support to armless Palestinian brothers and sisters until the liberation of the Palestinians from the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the pre-1967 borders”.

The premier appealed to Muslims across the world to remember their Palestinian and Kashmiri brothers and sisters on the occasion of Jummatul Wida (the last Friday of Ramazan).

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Israel would not be able to subjugate Palestinians through violence and oppression.

In a statement posted on the PML-N’s X account, she condemned the “Zionist state atrocities on the Palestinian brothers and sisters”.

CM Maryam called upon the international community and the United Nations Security Council to play their role in bringing an end to the ongoing “Israeli brutality”. “Peace across the world would remain a dream unless the Palestine and Kashmir issues are not solved,” she added.

Rallies planned

The Pakistan Ulema Council declared Friday (today) as “Peace for Palestine Day”, as various religious scholars were set to discuss and highlight the Palestine issue in their Friday sermons.

Various rallies were scheduled across the country to observe Al-Quds Day — including by the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI). The JI will hold a rally at Islamabad’s Aabpara Chowk at 2pm, which will be led by leader Liaquat Ali Baloch, the party said in a post on X.

Keeping in view the planned demonstrations, the Islamabad police said it had made strict security arrangements citywide.

“More than 2,500 officers and jawaans would perform their duties across the district. The checking process has been accelerated citywide,” the police quoted Deputy Inspector General (DIG) operations Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari as saying.

The DIG directed the staff on patrol around mosques and imambargahs, including Faisal Mosque, to remain alert. Asserting that “full arrangements” had been made for Al-Quds Day rallies, he said that security on the entry and exit routes was heightened as well.

While the Karachi police did not specify any scheduled rally, it also said orders were issued to take “every possible step” for the security of those offering Friday prayers.

In a post on X, the police said Karachi Additional Inspector General (IG) Imran Yaqoob Minhas ordered the deployment of police officials in uniforms and plain clothes on the city’s main routes.

He directed the sub-divisional officers and station house officers (SHOs) to oversee the security arrangments themselves till the Friday prayers had concluded. The additional IG further issued orders to ensure that vehicles and motorcycles were parked at a distance from places of worship.

In view of a planned rally by a “religious party” from Numaish Chowrangi to Tibet Centre, the Karachi Traffic Police issued a traffic plan.

In a press release, it suggested alternative routes for the public to take instead of the M.A. Jinnah Road. It said that traffic coming from Teen Hatti or Lasbela would be diverted to Soldier Bazaar from Gurumandir and towards Jail Chowrangi from the Banori signal.

Vehicles heading to Tibet Centre from Preedi Street/Regal would be diverted to PP Chowrangi from Preedi Chowk, the traffic police said. It added that traffic going towards Tibet Centre from Eidgah Chowk would be diverted to Gul Plaza and Jubilee.

Earlier today, containers had been placed at all turns at M.A. Jinnah Road near Numaish Chowrangi ahead of the Al-Quds Day rally. Therefore, traffic at the location was congested, the traffic police said.

The Punjab Police also said its “diligent officials” had been deployed across the province to protect mosques at Friday prayers.

Additional input by Imtiaz Ali