According to state-run Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop its “oppression of Palestinians” on Friday.
The premier severely slammed Israeli atrocities in Gaza in his message on International Al-Quds Day, which is observed on the final Friday of Ramadan to show solidarity with the people of Palestine battling against Israeli occupation.
The prime minister stated that since Israel began its offensive in the Palestinian enclave in response to the unexpected Hamas attacks on October 7, more than 32,000 Palestinians—including 17,000 children—had died and 70,000 more had been injured. He continued, saying that access to humanitarian supplies has been obstructed and that hospitals, refugee camps, and children’s schools have been specifically targeted.
According to the article, PM Shehbaz expressed concern that the UN Security Council’s resolution on a ceasefire was not preventing the senseless bombing of defenseless civilians in Gaza.
“More 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 prime minister declared, adding that Pakistan would keep up its support.
The prime minister urged Muslims everywhere to honor their brothers and sisters in Kashmir and Palestine on Jummatul Wida, the final Friday of Ramadan.
To commemorate Al-Quds Day, numerous demonstrations were planned across the nation, including those by the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM). Leader Liaquat Ali Baloch will lead the JI at a demonstration at Islamabad’s Aabpara Chowk at 2:00 pm, the party announced in a post on X.
In light of the scheduled protests, the Islamabad police announced that stringent security measures had been put in place around the city.
“Across the district, more than 2,500 policemen and jawaans will carry out their tasks. The police cited Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of operations, as saying, “The checking process has been accelerated citywide.”
The DIG gave the guards near mosques and imambargahs—including Faisal Mosque—a directive to stay vigilant. He said that “full arrangements” had been made for Al-Quds Day demonstrations and added that access and departure routes were now more heavily guarded.
The Karachi police stated that orders had been given to take “every possible step” to ensure the security of those performing Friday prayers, even though they did not identify the nature of the planned gathering.
Police said that Karachi Additional Inspector General (IG) Imran Yaqoob Minhas gave the order to station police officers in plain clothing and uniforms on the city’s main thoroughfares in a post on X.
He gave the station house officers (SHOs) and sub-divisional officers instructions to manage the security arrangements till the Friday prayers were over. The extra IG also gave directives to make sure cars and motorbikes were parked far away from houses of worship.
In addition, the Punjab Police reported that its “diligent officials” had been stationed around the region to guard mosques during Friday prayers.
