Al-Quds Day observed in Pakistan

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Rallies were held across Pakistan on Friday to mark the al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day and express solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle against Israeli occupation.

Apart from the main rallies, conferences and seminars, demonstrations were also held in the capital Islamabad, as well as Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, and other districts and towns on the call of Milli Yakjehti Council -- a conglomerate of various religious parties for different schools of thought.

Mainstream political-religious parties, Jamat-e-Islami, Tehrik-e-Jafria Pakistan, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimin, and others also supported the call.

In Karachi, protesters carrying Palestinian flags and banners plastered with images of Al-Aqsa Mosque and leaders of Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, marched on the city’s main Mohammad Ali Jinnah road despite searing temperatures.

Amid slogans of "death to Israel", and "death to America", speakers denounced Washington’s peace plan for the conflict, the so-called "deal of the century", terming it a move to legitimize the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, particularly Jerusalem.

In Islamabad, hundreds of protesters, including women and children, waved Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans marching from the city's business district to an area near the parliament house.

In Lahore, the country’s second largest city, protesters marched on the Mall Road demanding that the international community, mainly the UN, work to stop Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.

U.S. President Donald Trump had recognized in December 2017 Jerusalem as capital of Israel -- a move that sparked wide international condemnation, including from the UN.

Al-Quds is an annual event observed on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan across the globe to express solidarity with Palestinians.