KARACHI: A large number of people from diverse backgrounds took to streets on Friday on the call of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to express their solidarity with the people of Palestine and condemn the Israeli atrocities against civilians in Gaza.

The rally, staged on Sharea Faisal by the MQM-P and attended by what the party claimed “thousands” of workers and supporters of many political and religious parties, demanded Muslim countries in particular and the world in general to play their role to stop the genocide of Palestinian population.

The rally participants criticised western governments for their disappointing response to continuous Israeli air raids on Gaza over the last several days, which caused thousands of casualties of civilian men, women and children.

A large number of people, including women and children, took part in the MQM-P’s rally held along Sharea Faisal near the Nursery bus stop. Apart from the MQM leadership and Iranian consul general, leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Awami National Party, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), members of various civil society organisations also participated and addressed the rally.

Speaking on the occasion, MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui described the fresh assault as ‘genocide’ of Palestinian people in Gaza and called the attacks from the Israeli forces “barbaric and inhuman”.

He called on Israel to vacate the illegally occupied territory and urged the Islamic countries to use their influence to prevent the killing of innocent Palestinians, seeking a lasting resolution to the issue.

He praised the bravery of Palestinians in the face of Israeli airstrikes and missile attacks on hospitals, schools and residences, expressing hope that their sacrifices would eventually lead to the liberation of Palestine from the Israeli occupation.

Former Karachi mayor and senior MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal expressed his concerns at the situation in Gaza and condemned indiscriminate bombing that targeted innocent refugees, volunteers, and paramedical staff at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, describing the attacks as clear violations of human rights requiring immediate international intervention.

“Every form of resistance against Israeli apartheid is a legitimate response to the oppression and violence faced by Palestinians. A lasting peace in Gaza and Palestine cannot be achieved without Israel putting an end to its settler colonial expansion and reverting to the borders as they stood before 1967,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2023