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KARACHI: Thousands of Pakistani children marched through Karachi on Thursday to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza, demanding an end to what they called an “unbearable” toll on Palestinian children.

The rally, organized by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) religious political party, drew school students from across the city to Shara-e-Quaideen. Waving placards and chanting slogans, they voiced solidarity with Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 20,000 minors have been killed since October 7, 2023.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 65,000 people overall have died in the enclave since the war began, with thousands still trapped under rubble. Aid agencies including UNICEF and Save the Children say the toll on children represents one of the gravest humanitarian crises in decades.

“The children of Karachi have come out for Palestine, for the people of Palestine, for the children of Palestine, for their mothers, for their sisters, and for their rights,” said Hazib Uddin, a ninth-grade student. “So much oppression is happening in Palestine that it is unbearable.”

Another student, Mehdiya Iqbal, said she had joined to make her solidarity visible.

“The blood of the Palestinians is flowing. And no one is doing anything here. So, I have come here so that I can show my solidarity. Pakistan is with the Palestinians,” she said.

Others echoed similar emotions. 

“She was shot 67 times. The Israeli government deliberately shot the heads,” said one participant, referring to the killing of six-year-old Rajab Al-Hind. 

In November last year, the case of six-year-old Al-Hind, killed along with several relatives during Israeli strikes in Gaza, drew global attention after Palestinian doctors said her body had been riddled with dozens of bullets when their car was attacked. Human rights groups cited her death as emblematic of what they called indiscriminate targeting of children.

JI leaders said the presence of thousands of children underscored the urgency of the crisis. 
“You have gathered in such a large number at Shara-e-Quaideen and announced that Gaza children are not alone,” said Naeem Ur Rehman, JI’s Pakistan chief.

 “We know that these children are not alone. The children of Pakistan, the children of this city of Karachi, the children of this whole nation are with those children who are being targeted by the Israeli terrorism.”

Munem Zafar Khan, JI’s Karachi chief, called the situation a humanitarian disaster.

“The children of Gaza should be in classrooms, not cowering from bombs or starving under siege,” he said, adding that Pakistani students had rallied to highlight this contrast. 

“They are here for raising their voices in protest against the fact that while they attend school, Palestinian children are denied that basic right, forced to survive under bombardment and starvation.”

Other participants stressed global responsibility.
 
“The children of Europe have rights. Similarly, the children of Palestine have rights. So, the whole world should leave for Palestine,” said student Zaeem Uddin.

The demonstration, one of the largest child-led rallies in recent years, came as humanitarian agencies warned of worsening malnutrition and disease in Gaza. UNICEF has described the devastation facing Palestinian minors as a “stain on the world’s conscience.”

KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) closed at an all-time high of 157,953.47 points on Thursday, up by 1,775.65 points with analysts attributing the latest surge to growing investor confidence following Pakistan’s landmark defense pact with �������� this week. 

According to the PSX website, Pakistani stocks rose during the intra-day trading to 158,082.55 points before declining to 157,953.47 points at close of business. The stocks registered an increase of 1.14 percent from the previous day’s close, which was recorded at 156,177.81 points. The market saw robust activity, with 1.959 billion shares valued at Rs56.93 billion ($1 billion) compared to the 1.499 billion shares worth Rs48.85 billion ($857 million) traded the previous day.

The development takes place a day after Pakistan and �������� signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement,” pledging that aggression against one country would be treated as an attack on both, with the move expected to enhance joint deterrence and strengthen decades of military and security cooperation between the allies. 

“The market touched the all-time high after Pak-Saudi pact, which is likely to ease (Islamabad’s) financial burden as Pak-Saudi relations improve and investors expect economic support following the Middle East pact,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer of Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News. 

Leading brokerage house Topline Securities agreed, crediting the points surge to the landmark defense pact. 

“The bulls stampeded across the trading floor today as the local bourse surged on the back of a landmark development— the signing of the Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) between �������� and Pakistan,” Topline Securities said. 

’HISTORIC, STRATEGIC’ TIES

The pact was signed between the two countries during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s state visit to Riyadh on Wednesday, where he met Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace. The two leaders, joined by senior ministers and military officials, reviewed what Sharif’s office called a “historic and strategic” relationship between the two nations and discussed regional developments.

The accord comes at a time of extreme volatility in the Middle East, where prolonged conflicts have heightened fears of wider instability, reinforcing the urgency Gulf states place on stronger security and defense partnerships.

A joint statement released later described the pact as a reflection of the two governments’ shared commitment to strengthening defense cooperation and “achieving security and peace in the region and the world.”

�������� and Pakistan have for decades maintained close political, military and economic ties. The Kingdom hosts more than 2.5 million Pakistani expatriates — the largest overseas community sending remittances back home — and has repeatedly provided Islamabad with financial support during economic crises. Defense cooperation has included training, arms purchases and joint military exercises.
The new agreement formalizes that cooperation into a mutual defense commitment, a step that analysts widely say places the relationship on par with other strategic partnerships in the region.