Daily Times

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, parliamentarians and hundreds of thousands of people on Friday offered funeral prayers in absentia for martyred Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Islamabad.

The funeral prayer was held across the country as part of the government’s decisions made on Thursday which also included the observance of a day of mourning.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and leaders of the ruling coalition as well as the opposition parties also attended the funeral prayer.

“An incident of worst brutality has come to the fore, which the entire world, including Pakistan, Turkiye, Malaysia, China and Russia, has condemned in the strongest words,” Sharif said at an earlier press talk on Friday, referring to Haniyeh’s assassination.

Sharif further said that Pakistan would continue to provide relief goods and medical assistance to the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for martyred Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh were held in Qatar on Friday at Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab mosque.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly of Pakistan on Friday offered Fateha for the departed soul of Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas, who was assassinated in Iran earlier this week.

The prayer, led by Misbah Uddin at the request of Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, marked a solemn moment in the assembly, reflecting the nation’s deep sorrow over Haniyeh’s death.

In response to this tragic event, the government has declared a national day of mourning on Friday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemn what they describe as Israeli state-sponsored terrorism in Palestine.

A joint declaration by allied political parties confirmed that funeral prayers in absentia for Haniyeh would be held after Friday prayers across the country.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting with allied political party members, condemned the assassination as a barbaric act and a flagrant violation of international laws.

“The bloodshed in Palestine continues to claim innocent lives,” said PM Shehbaz.

“The world is silent over this barbarism, despite clear verdicts from the International Court of Justice and United Nations resolutions.”