A protest in solidarity with Aleppo, Syria, was held in front of Karachi Press Club today (Saturday).
Hundreds of participants held a peaceful protest in solidarity with victims of Aleppo, who have witnessed unspeakable horrors during the severe bombing campaign of the besieged part of east Aleppo.
The participants were carrying a giant banner that said: “Karachi Stands with Aleppo.”
While talking to Pakistan Today, Hassam Ahmed, a participant, said: “People came out in good numbers on such a short notice for the event. They brought their families with them, along with children and women. They took a keen interest.”
Talking about the demands of the protest, he said: “We demand the government to react to end the misery of Syrians, especially the people of east Aleppo. It is the beauty of this Ummah that people from other countries feel the pain of their Muslim brothers, despite having no nationalistic bonds.”
The protest is not the solution, he said, it’s just a way to express the anger of the people. The real solution lies in our armies moving to help the oppressed, he added.
Protests in solidarity with Aleppo have been happening all over the world, including cities like Istanbul, Gaziantep, Malmo, London, Amman, Kuwait City, Copenhagen, Buenos Aires, Berlin, New York and many others. Even New Delhi witnessed a peaceful protest in front of the Syrian embassy yesterday. More such events are planned in both Pakistan and India, along with other parts of the world.
It is pertinent to mention here that the conflict in Syria has been waging on for six years after peaceful protests in Syria turned violent. Syrian rebels fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime lost east Aleppo to Syrian government forces and civilians are now being moved to the countryside of Aleppo after negotiation between Russia, Turkey and the rebels. The deal was violated on several occasions by Iranian militias supporting the Assad government, and many people are still stranded in east Aleppo, despite Russian claims of moving all civilians to safety.