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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Tuesday dispatched a consignment of aid for Syria where Israel has been carrying out strikes as part of its military actions in the Middle East.

Israel has been hitting what it calls Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel, leading Israel to launch a military campaign in which more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 3,500 people in Lebanon.

Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israeli communities in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

“On Tuesday, 20th consignment of aid was dispatched from Karachi to Syria,” the NDMA said in a statement. 

“This aid shipment, sent by NDMA in collaboration with Al-Khidmat Foundation [NGO], comprised approximately 17 tons of supplies, including rice buckets, powdered milk, tin food, family packs, sleeping bags, medical support kits and generator. The aid was dispatched via chartered flight from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, to Damascus, Syria.”

Before Tuesday’s dispatch, the government of Pakistan had sent 12 aid consignments to Palestine, six to Lebanon, and one to Syria. 

Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Since the beginning of the war in October last year, Pakistan has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other international forums, urging an end to Israeli military actions.

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday warned his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party leaders and ticket holders against making excuses ahead of a “decisive” protest in Islamabad on Nov. 24, urging those who cannot ensure their participation to dissociate from the PTI.
The PTI last week announced a ‘long march’ to Islamabad over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 national election and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary. Khan accuses the powerful military of colluding with his political rivals to form the 
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the powerful military, which denies interfering in politics.
In a message posted from his official account on X, Khan appealed to the entire nation to take to the streets and protest on Nov. 24. 
“Everyone must join the protest on November 24th,” the former premier’s message read. “If any PTI leader or ticket holder is not able to ensure their participation in the protest, they should disassociate themselves from the party because this is the decisive moment when the entire nation will come out for freedom.”
He called upon overseas Pakistanis to record anti-government protests in their respective countries and raise funds for the PTI. 
One of the PTI’s fundamental demands is for the government to roll back recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment which it alleges is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. The government says the amendments are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.
Khan accused “fraudulent assemblies” of attacking the independence of the judiciary. “It is impossible for a democracy to exist without an independent judiciary,” he said. 
The caretaker government that administered the Feb. 8 election denies the polls were manipulated to ensure Khan’s party lost. The incumbent Sharif-led coalition government denies it is backed by the military and that it is unfairly treating Khan supporters. 
Following the PTI’s call for the Nov. 24 protest last week, Pakistani authorities have bolstered efforts to thwart the march. Islamabad’s district magistrate imposed a two-month-long ban on the gathering of more than five people in the capital on Monday. 
The PTI’s recent rallies and marches have been thwarted by similar bans on public gatherings imposed under Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code which allows the government to prohibit various forms of political assembly, gatherings, sit-ins, rallies, demonstrations, and other activities for a specified period.