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. The call was made by JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman during a large pro-Palestine rally held on Sunday along the Islamabad Expressway.
Addressing thousands of participants, Rehman condemned what he described as genocide in Gaza, where more than 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 declared. “We will visit every market and ask them to shut down in support of Palestine.” He also urged a nationwide boycott of products linked to Israeli interests and called for coordinated efforts including strikes and online activism.
Rehman demanded that Pakistan officially recognise Hamas and permit the group to open a representative office in the country, calling Hamas “a democratically elected force under international law.” “We are not slaves to the West,” he said. “The followers of the Prophet (PBUH) do not accept subjugation by the US or Israel.”
In a show of support for the strike, several major traders’ associations across Karachi have pledged to shut down businesses on April 26. This includes the All Karachi Tajir Ittehad and the Karachi Electronics Dealers Association.
JI Karachi Chief Monem Zafar met with leading trader representatives on Friday. “We stand by the people of Gaza,” said Attique Mir, chairman of the traders’ alliance. “We will fully cooperate to make the strike successful.”
