LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has announced launching of a nationwide public mobilisation campaign in support of Palestinians, comprising protest demonstrations, rallies and marches on the US embassy in Islamabad and consulates in major cities of the country.

Addressing a press conference at Mansoora on Sunday, Rehman stated that the JI is temporarily suspending its `Haq Do Awam Ko` campaign and redirecting its efforts entirely toward mobilising the public across the country in support of Gaza people facing Israeli atrocities.

A protest march by the JI activists on the US consulate in Lahore is scheduled for April 11, a mass rally on Karachi`s Shahrah-e-Faisal for April 13, and a march on the US embassy in Islamabad is set for April 20.

The JI emir appealed to the public to participate in these protests in large numbers to send a clear message to the world-and especially to Pakistan`s rulers-that `the nation is not for sale` and that their bond with the Palestinians is rooted in their faith.

He stated that the JI is also in contact with various Islamic organisations worldwide to observe a global `Day of Strike` for Gaza.

Rehman also urged the government to send a parliamentary delegation to meet leaders in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, and other Islamic countries, and announce a joint march toward Gaza to break the siege.

`Pakistan must assume a leading role on the Palestine issue,` he stressed. `Tragically, neither the government, nor opposition parties, have condemned the United States or Israel. All are focused on appeasing [US president] Trump. Silence in the face of ongoing atrocities in Gaza is sheer hypocrisy, he said.

Dismissing `economic excuses` being given by rulers for their inaction against the US, Rehman said the `long-entrenched` rulers themselves weakened the economy.

He urged religious scholars, including Mufti Taqi Usmani and Mufti Muneebur Rehman, to issue a joint fatwa, declaring it a religious duty to resist Israeli oppression in Gaza.