Fazl meets Hamas leaders in Qatar

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman met Palestinian resistance group Hamas’s leader Ismail Haniyeh and former chief Khaled Mashal in Qatar on Sunday and discussed the Palestine situation, unabated bombardment of Gaza and killing of innocent people by the Israeli forces.

Sources said Fazl is in Qatar where he is expected to reach out to the Arab leadership to find a way to provide aid to Gaza, which has been facing a dire humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing Israeli bombing of the strip following the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“The two sides held detailed discussions on the Palestine issue,” JUIF spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said while shedding light on the meeting between the veteran politician and Hamas leadership.

“[The JUIF chief] conveyed condolences and expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine in the wake of Israeli atrocities in Gaza,” the statement on Fazl’s X account read.

During the meeting, Haniyeh called for Muslims to unite in the face of Israeli aggression, which has killed nearly 10,000 Palestinians since October 7.

“It is the Muslim Ummah’s responsibility to unite against Israeli atrocities,” Haniyeh said.

Mashal highlighted that the atrocities in Kashmir and Palestine are a slap in the face of so-called human rights advocates.

The JUIF chief, while echoing Hamas leadership’s views, said the developed nations have the blood of innocent children and women on their hands.

Mashal appreciated Fazl’s efforts for the Palestine cause, saying the JUIF chief was playing the role of Palestine’s ambassador in Pakistan.