LARKANA: Responding to a central call by the Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT), funeral prayers in absentia were held at Jinnah Bagh on Sunday for the 185 schoolchildren, mostly girls, martyred in the bombing of a Minab school in Iran.

The prayers were attended in large numbers by party leaders, workers, and citizens, including senior figures Sikandar Lashari, Jamil Memon, Jamil Lar, Ghulam Raza Memon, Yousuf Detho, and Jangal Khan Koreja. They also prayed for the departed souls.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, the party leaders strongly condemned the attack, stating that the United States and Israel had imposed an unlawful war on a peaceful nation like Iran, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives and the destruction of peace across the Middle East.

They said that bombing a girls’ school and martyring innocent students was not only a heinous crime but also a clear violation of the laws of war.

They demanded that the civilised nations of the world and the United Nations immediately intervene to halt what they termed the unlawful aggression by the US and Israel and restore peace to the region.

Jamaat condemns US, Israel

Jamaat-i-Islami Sindh emir Kashif Saeed Shaikh has strongly criticised United States President Donald Trump, asserting that despite his claims of ending wars, Trump is actively fuelling terrorism across the world through his practical actions, and will be remembered in history as the greatest war criminal.

Addressing a public iftar gathering organised by the sons of former JI deputy emir Habibullah Shaikh the other day, Shaikh demanded that the Government of Pakistan formally announce its withdrawal from what he termed the so-called “Board of Peace”, stating that Trump’s Gaza peace initiative is nothing but a deception.

Pakistan must openly condemn the United States and Israel, and stand unequivocally alongside Iran, he demanded.

The JI Sindh chief alleged that the ruling class has become a slave to America and Israel for the sake of retaining power, with no regard for the public interest.

He emphasised that in the current critical situation, it is imperative to unite the Muslim Ummah.

Referring to the holy month of Ramadan, Shaikh said it teaches Muslims to rise for the supremacy of truth and the elimination of evil.

Turning to domestic politics, he accused the government — which he described as a product of “Form 47” — of being a fraudulent administration that is pursuing a policy of eliminating the poor rather than eliminating poverty.

He said that despite tall claims of fixing the economy, restoring political stability and maintaining the law and order, the country remains trapped in a web of terrorism while the economy continues to slide towards devastation.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026