Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar announced on Thursday a complete ban on New Year celebrations as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people. In an address to the nation, he stated, ‘Considering the deeply concerning situation in Palestine and to demonstrate solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters, the government will strictly enforce a ban on any form of New Year events.
The ban reflects the sentiments and aspirations of people of Pakistan who have deep attachment with suffering Palestinians and their just cause. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) said “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” There was, therefore, absolutely no justification to engage in festivities at a time when genocide of Muslims is being carried out by the Jewish State in connivance of colonial powers like the United States and Britain. Palestinian authorities said on Thursday that at least 50 people had been killed as Israel bombards every corner of Gaza, where more than 21,320 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 90 percent of the population displaced. Israel has stepped up attacks across the length and breadth of Gaza, targeting Beit Lahiya, Khan Younis, Rafah and Maghazi on Thursday despite global outrage and calls for a ceasefire amid the mounting death toll. In the face of barbaric bombing of the besieged Gaza during the last 84 days before the eyes of the entire world, a mass exodus is underway as Palestinians find no shelter in the war zone and this seems to be in line with the ultimate goal of the Jewish State to dispossess Palestinians of their entire land. Palestinians in the besieged enclave said they have nowhere safe to flee. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for Gaza’s Ministry of Health, said on Thursday that more than 200 people had been killed in 24 hours with entire families wiped out. Apart from 21,600 people who embraced martyrdom, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been wounded since Israel launched a military offensive in the wake of Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel. Independent analysts say Israel’s assault on Gaza has become one of the most destructive in modern history, enacting an enormous humanitarian toll and drawing accusations of a campaign of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians. As the world is calling for a ceasefire and provision of much-needed humanitarian assistance, Israeli war cabinet members are boasting that the cruelty would continue ‘for months’. This situation is troubling for two billion Muslims, who demand the international community as well as their own governments to act swiftly and decisively to halt the ongoing carnage in Gaza. There have been demonstrations throughout the Muslim world including Pakistan to express solidarity with Palestinians and to condemn Israeli atrocities against defenceless Palestinians. There have also been calls for severing all ties with Israel and boycott of its products. It is also a fact that Pakistan has officially been expressing strong political, diplomatic and moral support for oppressed Palestinians. It has vocalized the plight of the Palestinian people on every global forum available and the Prime Minister has vowed to continue to do so in the future as well to stop the Israeli bloodshed. At the conclusion of the two-day Corps Commander Conference, the military’s top brass also expressed full solidarity with Palestinians and condemned the “serious human rights violations and war crimes” being perpetrated in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military. The military moot reiterated the government’s stance of demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis reflecting national consensus on the Middle-East conflict. Islamabad dispatched two aid packages to Palestine while a third package was being prepared and it is engaged in talks with Jordan and Egypt to provide timely aid to Palestine and to evacuate the injured present in Gaza. While appreciating the gesture of the Prime Minister banning New Year celebrations, we would propose that both the government and people of Pakistan should instead use the resources towards augmenting humanitarian supplies to the people in distress in Gaza.
