A social group, Aurat March, hold signs during a demonstration against Pakistani government, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. Pakistan says it has recently announced plans to deport all migrants who are in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans, who will be implemented in a "phased and orderly manner." (AP Photo/W.K. Yousafzai)
Thousands of supporters from Pakistan’s main religious political party rallied in the capital, Islamabad, on Sunday against Israel’s bombing of Palestinians in Gaza, chanting anti-American slogans and accusing the U.S. of “backing the aggressor.”
The Jamaat-e-Islami party initially announced a march to the U.S. Embassy in the city’s high-security diplomatic enclave.
But tough action from authorities the previous night forced the party to change its plans and hold the rally in a major street away from the protected enclave. Police pulled down the party’s encampments on Saturday night, detaining the local leadership and dozens of supporters.
Jamaat-e-Islami supporters, including women and children, marched for several kilometers (miles) to reach the agreed protest venue. They held banners and posters with slogans opposing Israel and the United States and in support of the Palestinians.
Jamaat-e-Islami would continue to raise its voice for the Palestinians until they liberated their land, he said.
Another religious party, Jamiat Ulema Islam, held a massive rally in the southwestern city of Quetta, where its leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed solidarity and support for Gazans.
Also on Sunday, Aurat March, a women’s advocacy group, held protests in several Pakistani cities against a government policy to arrest and deport all foreigners found living in the country illegally after Oct. 31, including at least 2 million Afghans.
Aurat March supporters gathered in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Multan to support Afghans facing the threat of deportation.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly said their campaign does not target Afghans specifically, only those migrants who are undocumented or unregistered.
