A large Gujrat protest convened on the two-year anniversary of Israeli attacks on Gaza, beginning at the Press Club and moving to Kutchery Chowk after a call by Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman. Men, women, youth and elders joined the procession to show solidarity with the people of Palestine and to press for a clear national response.
The demonstration was led locally by Dr. Tariq Saleem, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab, with key participation from Chaudhry Ansar Mahmood, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Gujrat, and Sajid Sharif, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Gujrat City. Organisers described the Gujrat protest as part of a wider demand for Pakistan to take a principled stand on Palestine rather than follow external pressures.
Dr. Tariq Saleem told participants that two years on there has been no formal condemnation of Israeli actions from either the government or opposition in Pakistan. He criticised the ruling elite for seeking Western approval and urged an end to advocacy for a two-state solution in favour of a firm national policy on Palestine. He warned that any attempt to recognise Israel or to join the Abraham Accords would be met with strong public resistance and welcomed the release of all flotilla participants, including former Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, while condemning attacks on the Global Resistance flotilla. He said, ‘If anyone believes they can force recognition of Israel through pressure, they should know that the Pakistani nation will respond to the power of the gun with the power of faith.’
Chaudhry Ansar Mahmood praised what he described as Hamas’s measured response to the so-called Trump peace initiative and said the international appeal for Israel to halt attacks has so far been ignored. He questioned why leaders of the Islamic world have not held the United States accountable for support of Israeli actions and framed Hamas’s resistance as a historic example and a lesson for Islamic movements. He added that the discipline of the mujahideen offers an example to others and reiterated Pakistan’s long-held position, citing Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and saying Pakistan will not recognise an occupying state.
The Gujrat protest highlighted local sentiment and political pressure in Pakistan over foreign policy towards Palestine and Israel. Organisers and participants called for elected leaders and state institutions to adopt a clear, principled policy that reflects public opinion and Pakistan’s historic stance on the issue, with the focus of the rally repeatedly returning to the demands made during the Gujrat protest.
