Pakistan Observes Day of Mourning for Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh

Pakistan is observing a day of mourning today in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas Political Bureau, in Tehran. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday strongly denounced the attack, terming it a barbaric act and a flagrant violation of international laws. The prime minister highlighted that the extraterritorial assassination had sparked widespread condemnation across the world, including from Pakistan, Turkiye, Russia, Iran, China, and Malaysia.

Shehbaz Sharif, while chairing a meeting on the situation in Palestine, noted that Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination, which also claimed the lives of his children and grandchildren, had deeply affected people worldwide. The meeting, attended by parliamentarians representing the government’s allied political parties, expressed full solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The prime minister lamented the ongoing bloodshed in Palestine, which has continued for the last nine months, resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 Palestinians, including many children. He criticized the international community’s silence over these atrocities, describing the situation as terrorism and extremism.

The allied parties in the government decided that a nationwide day of mourning would be observed to express solidarity with the Palestinian brothers and sisters and to condemn the Israeli state-sponsored terrorism. A funeral prayer in absentia for Ismail Haniyeh will be offered after Friday prayers.

The meeting also resolved to present a resolution in Parliament to express full solidarity with the people of Palestine and strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli brutalities. The participants expressed sorrow over Haniyeh’s assassination, viewing it as a conspiracy to derail efforts to stop Israeli atrocities and establish peace in the region.

The prime minister emphasized the need for immediate humanitarian aid for the unarmed Palestinians and assured that Pakistan would continue to provide relief goods and medical assistance. It was decided that injured Palestinians would be brought to Pakistan for treatment, and Palestinian medical students would be supported in continuing their education in Pakistan.