President Asif Ali Zardari in Nawabshah, Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani in Multan, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Model Town Lahore ,Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in his native town Makhdoom Rasheed .
Small and large congregations for prayers were held in mosques and Eidgahs throughout the country, with a large number of citizens in attendance for the occasion of Eidul Fitr, according to Express News.
Special prayers were offered for the safety, progress, and prosperity of the Muslim Ummah, the country, and the nation.
Central congregations for Eid prayers took place at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, and Polo Ground in Karachi, where prominent government officials and other political and social figures also participated.
At Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Eid prayers were offered, and the Inspector General of Islamabad reviewed security arrangements.
He stated that more than 2,000 personnel were deployed for security across the city, with 500 officers assigned to maintain traffic flow.
Eid prayers were also held in major cities such as Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mardan, Sibi, Murree, Gilgit, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, and Jhang, where millions of people participated.
Mufti Munib ur Rehman invited the residents of Karachi to join the Eid celebrations at the Federal B Area Eidgah, where he led the prayers. Eid prayers were also offered at the Governor's House in Karachi at 7 am, with the Sindh Governor and other key figures attending.
At Polo Ground, Karachi, prayers were offered in the presence of the Karachi Mayor and other significant personalities. At Nizamabad Eidgah Ground, Mufti Taqi Usmani led the Eid prayers, and Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan's Amir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman also offered prayers there.
In Karachi, more than 4,000 small and large Eid prayer gatherings were held, with millions of Muslims coming together to offer the Eid prayer.
In Lahore, like other areas, Eid prayers were held at Bagh Jinnah, while Eid prayers were also offered at the Subil Wali Mosque in Karachi's Guru minder.
After the prayers, people exchanged Eid greetings by embracing one another. Many then visited the graves of their deceased loved ones and offered prayers for them.
In Karachi, large congregations for Eid prayers were held at various mosques such as the New Memon Mosque, Jinnah Mosque, and many others.
While the more fortunate will be sharing the joys of Eidul Fitr with their families, many in the Muslim world will be observing the festival in the shadow of genocide, starvation and war.
Therefore, as we celebrate, let us not forget the people of occupied Palestine and Kashmir, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and other Muslim-majority regions whose lives have been shattered by bloodshed and aggression. The people of Gaza have little to celebrate as Israel shattered the fragile ceasefire on March 18, and resumed its genocidal war against this forsaken territory. Over 900 people have been massacred since the truce fell apart, while overall more than 50,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered by Israel in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023. People in the occupied West Bank have it only marginally better as Tel Aviv launches blood-soaked forays into the territory at will.
Elsewhere in the Muslim world things are equally grim. For example, while the people of Syria may have ousted long-time strongman Bashar al-Assad last December, stability eludes the country, while militants allied to the government have been accused of carrying out sectarian massacres of the Alawi community. Moreover, Israel has enlarged its occupation of Syrian territory, along with knocking out much of Damascus’s defensive capabilities, to ensure the Arab state cannot resist Israeli aggression.
Israel — arguably the biggest obstacle to regional peace — has also bombed Beirut after things largely quietened down following last November’s truce between the Zionist state and the Hezbollah movement. In Yemen, the US has been conducting air strikes against the Houthis to apparently punish the group for its anti-Israel rhetoric and blockade of the Red Sea. Over 50 people, including civilians, have been killed in the American attacks.
Meanwhile, the people of occupied Kashmir continue to be denied their fundamental rights, while Indian Muslims are feeling increasingly marginalised by an Islamophobic government that flaunts its Hindutva credentials. There is also no solution on the horizon for Sudan’s bloody civil war, which has dragged on for two years.
Sadly, there has been no unified Muslim response from the ‘ummah’ — principally in the shape of the OIC — to most of these crises, other than hollow statements, thoughts and prayers.
Israel, with the help of the US, has been pulverising the Palestinians of Gaza, while Tel Aviv violates Syrian and Lebanese sovereignty with impunity — but there is no collective pushback from the Muslim world.
In fact, Muslim states that have established ties with Israel have not felt it convenient to suspend diplomatic relations until Tel Aviv permanently stops the slaughter. Non-Muslim states such as South Africa, Brazil and Colombia have arguably done much more in solidarity with Palestinians. Until the Muslim world takes practical steps to end these atrocities, these besieged populations will see no joy.
