Hundreds of students and civil society activists gather in Karachi to mark ‘Nakba Day’
KARACHI: Hundreds of Pakistani students and civil society activists rallied in the southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday to mark 76 years since the Palestinians were forced to flee their homeland, as Israel escalates military tensions in the centre. called for an end to the “genocide” in Gaza. east.
Palestinians refer to May 15 as the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic. It was the day in 1948 that approximately 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War after the creation of the state of Israel.
Protests were held around the world on Wednesday as Israel’s war in Gaza continues, in which Israeli forces have killed at least 35,173 people and injured 79,061 since October 7, 2023.
The protest rally, which was attended by more than a dozen civil society and women’s rights groups, began at Karachi’s Daw Talwar roundabout and continued to Teen Talwar, another important landmark in the city.
“Civil society in Karachi celebrates Nakba Day today, with the aim of confirming that Palestinians are actual residents or actual people who can claim rights to land that is currently claimed by Israel. ” said Ahmed Shabar. one of the organizers told Arab News.
He called on students from other parts of the country to join protests in Gaza.
“This campaign has multiple layers and we call on civil society in Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta to unite, as well as students across Pakistan, because this is only the first event,” Shabber said. Ta. He vowed that there would be more protests in the coming days.
Shabar said the demonstrators’ biggest demand was for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and for Israel to be held accountable for its actions.
He said Pakistan’s civil society demands include that Pakistan join South Africa in the International Court of Justice and hold Israel and its supporters accountable for crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Savar said the protesters also wanted an apology from Germany’s ambassador to Pakistan, whom he had yelled at for interrupting a Pakistani student during a speech at a conference last month. Pro-Palestinian supporters had questioned the ambassador about Germany’s support for controversial Israeli actions in Gaza.
He said civil society groups are also calling for boycotts of Israeli products and brands that support Israeli actions in Gaza.
Menaz Rehman, a rights campaign leader at the Aurat Foundation, said the demonstrators had gathered to protest Israeli atrocities, particularly against women and children.
“They are killing children,” Rehman told Arab News. “They are [people] We should come forward and protest against Israel and demand a ceasefire. We demand an immediate ceasefire,” she said, praising American students who spoke out for Palestine.
Protester Noreen Fatima said Palestinians were forced from their land more than 70 years ago. History is repeating itself, she lamented.
“This is happening again,” Fatima told Arab News. You know? And we see it happening against the background of our complete genocide. This will happen in 2024. ”
She criticized the international community for remaining silent on Israel’s massacres in Gaza.
“Has humanity regressed? I think we are completely regressing,” she lamented.
“What is the point of watching babies being killed and dying? And there is no accountability and this genocide continues.
“We’re here to protest that. We’re here because we don’t want something like this to happen.”
Separately, hundreds of students and teachers gathered at Karachi University to protest Israeli military operations in Gaza and support American students protesting across Europe and the United States.
