The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the chief political leader of Hamas and former Prime Minister of Palestine, in Iran sparked widespread condemnation from nearly all political and religious parties on Wednesday. They criticized Israel’s “barbaric approach,” denounced international support for the Zionist state, and questioned the silence of Muslim rulers.
As the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh entered its sixth day, all activities were halted in mourning for the assassination. The party also suspended its activities in Karachi, including a planned sit-in outside the Governor House.
JI emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman led a funeral prayer in absentia for Haniyeh on Liaquat Road, which was also attended by a delegation from the Palestinian embassy in Pakistan. Funeral prayers were also held in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta, as well as in Larkana by the JUI-F.
In Rawalpindi, Mufti Gulzar Naimi, Allama Arif Wahidi, and Nasir Abbas Sherazi paid tribute to Haniyeh and condemned the Israeli attack, noting that the Zionist state was being ridiculed even by people in the West.
A joint rally organized by the Palestine Foundation Pakistan and the ISO Karachi division condemned Israel for the assassination. The rally was attended by leaders from various political and religious groups, including Dr. Sabir Abu Maryam of the Palestine Foundation Pakistan, JI, MWM, JUP, PTI, PML-N, Awami Tehreek, Human Rights Council, Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith, and Pastor Daniel Siraj.
The MQM-P also condemned the “Zionist regime of Israel.”