Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced a nationwide strike on April 26 to protest against Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza and to express solidarity with Palestinians. JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman made the announcement during a large pro-Palestine rally held on Sunday along the Islamabad Expressway.
Addressing thousands of participants, Rehman condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza, where over 51,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since Israel launched its military response to Hamas’s October 7 attack. “We will enforce a complete strike from Chitral to Karachi,” he said, calling on businesses to shut down in support of Palestine. He also called for a nationwide boycott of products linked to Israeli interests and urged coordinated efforts including strikes and online activism.
Rehman also demanded that Pakistan officially recognize Hamas and allow the group to open a representative office in the country, calling Hamas “a democratically elected force under international law.” He further emphasized, “We are not slaves to the West,” and declared that Muslims do not accept subjugation by the US or Israel.
In Karachi, several major traders’ associations have pledged to close their businesses on April 26 in solidarity with the strike. The All Karachi Tajir Ittehad and the Karachi Electronics Dealers Association are among those backing the protest. JI Karachi Chief Monem Zafar met with trader representatives on Friday, with Attique Mir, chairman of the traders’ alliance, stating, “We stand by the people of Gaza” and promising full cooperation to make the strike successful.
