Pakistan announces nationwide boycott of Israeli products

The Pakistani government has announced a nationwide boycott of Israeli products in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, it emerged on Friday.

The decision was revealed during a press conference in Islamabad, where Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Prime Minister's Political Advisor Rana Sanaullah were joined by leaders of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

TLP organised a sit-in at Faizabad interchange in Islamabad to protest the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza.

TLP put forward three demands to end the protest led by its young leader Saad Rizvi.

The religious party asked the government to officially boycott Israeli products and send food and medical aid to Palestinians suffering Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza. 

The party also demanded PM Shehbaz-led government to declare Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist.”

Sanaullah, in a presser, said that an agreement to end the protest was reached between the government and TLP.

The former interior minister said that the government is committed to resolving the Palestinian issue.

"We have sent aid to Gaza previously as well and now we will send another shipment of 1,000 tons of aid to Gaza, which includes fruits and other daily use items," Sanaullah said.

According to the government official, the aid will be sent to the war-torn region before July 31 (Wednesday).

Sanaullah vehemently condemned Israel's actions, labelling it a terrorist state and calling for Netanyahu to be brought to justice. 

"Netanyahu has been convicted of war crimes. He has killed innocent civilians and children [in Palestine]," the minister said.

"Netanyahu is a terrorist. We demand United Nations to brought him to justice," he added.

PM's political advisor also announced to begin a state-level boycott movement of Israeli products.

He declared that the Pakistani government stands in support of the Palestinian people and will take concrete steps to demonstrate this support.

The boycott of Israeli products is a major move by PM Shehbaz's coalition government, which aims at exerting economic pressure on Israel and showing solidarity with Palestine.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, almost 38,848 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since October 7.