Hundreds of doctors, healthcare professionals, and paramedics gathered on December 10 for the “White Coat March” on Stadium Road, Karachi to pay tribute to their Palestinian counterparts while condemning the atrocities committed by Israel against civilians in Gaza as they called for an immediate ceasefire.
Organized by the Karachi Medical Forum, the gathering was attended by Interim Sindh Health Minister Saad Khalid Niaz, leaders from the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), along with members of the Palestine Foundation in the country.
“Today in Karachi, thousands of doctors marched, demanding an immediate end to human rights violations, the bombing of civilian areas— particularly hospitals,” PIMA wrote on social media platform X.
The event saw participants, donned in white coats, including women and young students, initiating their rally near the Aga Khan University Hospital on Stadium Road.
Chanting slogans and displaying placards denouncing Israeli barbarism, the protesters also voiced their disapproval of the United Nations and world powers’ silence regarding the ongoing Israeli actions.
Caretaker Sindh Health Minister Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz addressed the march, expressing empathy for Palestinian civilians facing Israeli bombardment without adequate health facilities.
“As healthcare professionals, we cannot stay silent. We will continue to raise our voice against this barbarism,” he declared.
City chief of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, questioned the silence of Islamic country rulers, accusing them of tacitly supporting Israel.
“The people of Palestine have exposed not only Israel but also those so-called Muslim rulers who have failed the Ummah,” he asserted.
Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Shoro of the Pakistan Medical Association paid tribute to healthcare professionals for their large-scale support, while Prof. Abdullah Muttaqi of the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association also addressed the crowd.
The participants collectively passed a resolution, demanding an immediate end to human rights violations, especially the bombing of civilian areas and healthcare institutions by Israel. They urged Muslim rulers to utilize their political, economic, and military powers to halt “Zionist aggression.”