KARACHI - Thousands of people, including women and children, took out Al-Quds rally on MA Jinnah Road here on Friday to mark the International Al-Quds Day despite the bomb explosion that hit the bus carrying the participants of the rally at Main University road and killed two persons and injured 14 others.
The participants of the Azadia Al-Quds rally, taken under the banner of Tehreek-e-Azadia Al-Quds of Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) Karachi, expressed solidarity with Palestinian brethren struggling against the illegal occupation of their land by Israel. The demonstrators were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the US and Israel aggression. They were also waving flags of Hizbollah and Hammas. Hundreds of people carried portraits of Ayatollah Khomeini, Ayatullah Syed Ali Khamnai, and Syed Hassan Nasrallah.
They marched through MA Jinnah Road from Numaish Chowrangi to Tibet Centre to lodge their protest against the US-backed Israeli oppression against Palestinians. Every year, the last Friday of Ramazan is observed as Al-Quds Day, the call for which was given by late founder of Islamic revolution Imam Khomeini.
Addressing the rally at the Tibet Centre, Majlis-e-Wehdat Muslameen (MWM) central leader Maulana Mirza Yousuf Hussain, ISO Pakistan President Athar Imran, Maulana Baqar Zaidi, Allama Amin Shaheedi, Allama Qazi Ahmed Noorani Siddiqui and others declared that observing the Al-Quds Day was a referendum against the Israel.
They said that the participation of thousands of people in the Al-Quds rally in Karachi had foiled the Zionist conspiracy to eliminate the voice in support of people of Palestine and condemned the attack on bus carrying the participants of Al-Quds rally in Karachi. The termed that the attack on Al-Quds rally a conspiracy of Zionist regime Israel, saying the days of Israel are numbered.
They said Israel was the biggest terrorist of the world and stressed the need to launch a war against it. “If we really want to end terrorism, the elimination of Israel is must,” they said.
The speakers said the Zionist forces were bound to face defeat at the hands of the brave and courageous liberation forces while jihad against existence of Israel would not let the dream of the Zionist state come true. They backed the present Syrian regime and condemned the OIC decision for suspending the Syria membership of OIC.
“Syria is the strong supporter of Palestinian resistance and the present insurgency in Syria was the conspiracy to destabilise the resistance of Palestine,” they added.
The participants also carried posters of Palestinian martyrs. A worst traffic jam was also witnessed on MA Jinnah Road and other routes of Sadr that irked citizens. Police and local volunteers adopted stern security measures en-route the march to foil any bid of terrorism. They installed the containers and sealed the entire route of the procession.