Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has called for a nationwide strike on April 26 to express solidarity with Gaza in response to Israel’s military actions.
During the Gaza Solidarity March in Islamabad, he sharply criticized Muslim leaders for their lack of action, stating, “Palestinian children are being slaughtered, our rulers are asleep, but the Ummah is wide awake.”
He stressed that if authorities remained inactive after JI’s mass mobilization, “then we will have to do more.” He also called for a Hamas office to be established in Pakistan and emphasized that the fight for Gaza’s freedom symbolizes resistance for all oppressed people.
Condemning the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, where “50 bodies are being buried every 48 hours,” the JI chief urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take concrete steps.
He added, “We are not afraid of bullets or guns,” asserting that “Gaza has been turned into a pile of rubble.”
While urging Muslim governments to take a dignified stand, he clarified that JI seeks peaceful protests and not confrontation with law enforcement, saying, “When we announce a march, no containers can block our way.”
He noted that religious scholars have issued a fatwa making jihad compulsory under the present conditions.
Rehman criticized Pakistan’s leadership for being too afraid to confront the United States and Israel, lamenting, “Our rulers are asleep,” and stating that even mainstream parties like PTI and PML-N unite only for personal gains, not for Palestine.
The planned protest march to the US embassy was redirected to Islamabad Highway after negotiations with the government.
He concluded by urging political unity on the issues of Kashmir and Palestine, calling the Palestinian situation not just religious, but a humanitarian crisis. “We will boycott. We will wage jihad on social media.
But our rulers don’t let us fight jihad,” he said, encouraging people to make sacrifices, including giving up products that support Israel, to stand with the people of Gaza.