KARACHI: The Milli Yakjehti Council (MYC) and the Palestine Foundation Pakistan (PLF) organised a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club on the occasion of Nakba Day, commemorating 77 years of Palestinians’ displacement and Israeli occupation.

The Nakba means “catastrophe” in Arabic — which refers to the flight and expulsion of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Hundreds of citizens in Karachi participated in the rally, condemning Israel’s illegal occupation and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The demonstration was led by MYC president Asadullah Bhutto and PLF Pakistan secretary general Dr Sabir Abu Maryam.

The protesters carried banners and placards denouncing Israel as an illegitimate state and affirming support to the Palestinian right of return.

Many held symbolic keys, representing the displaced Palestinians’ claim to their homeland.

Prominent figures, including former MNA Muhammad Hussain Mehnati, Allama Qazi Ahmed Noorani, Ahmed Nadeem Awan, Allama Baqir Zaidi, Allama Murtaza Rahmani, Israr Abbasi, Younis Buneri, former Sindh Assembly Member retired major Qamar Abbas, Allama Jafar Subhani, Pastor Emmanuel, Allama Amin Ansari, and Maulana Muhammad Qasim, addressed the gathering.

The speakers condemned the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, stating that the Palestinian people faced a daily Nakba (catastrophe) while the world remained silent. They strongly criticised US policies favouring Israel and urged Muslim leaders to sever all ties with the “Zionist regime” instead of “normalising” relations.

The speakers also praised the Pakistani armed forces for their vigilance and decisive response to external threats, particularly from “US-backed and Israeli-puppet India”.

They warned that if Israeli drones could target Pakistan through Indian territory, the government must extend full political, moral, and diplomatic support to Palestine — including military aid — to counter what they termed “Pakistan’s ideological enemy, the usurper state of Israel”.

The leaders asserted that recognizing Israel contradicts the ideology of Pakistan and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. They demanded legal action against Pakistani citizens who travel to Israel or make statements undermining Pakistan’s stance on Palestine.

The MYC and PLF announced a 10-day observance of Nakba from May 7 to May 16, with nationwide programs in support of Palestine. They gave the call to observe “Black Day” on May 16, with protests against atrocities committed by the US and Israel in Palestine.

Leaders from various political and religious parties attended the protest, including Allama Sadiq Jafri, Allama Mukhtar Imami, Allama Mubashir Hassan, Saqlain Ishaq, Abdul Azim, Allama Badr ul-Hasnain, Allama Aqeel Anjum, Advocate Nasir Rizwan, Allama Shaukat Mughal, Allama Abdul Ghaffar, Allama Abdul Waheed Yunus, Allama Hayat Abbas, Allama Malik Abbas, Allama Sajjad Haider, and others.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025