Pakistan declares national day of mourning for slain Hamas chief

By Aamir Latif and Riyaz ul Khaliq

KARACHI, Pakistan/ISTANBUL (AA) - Pakistan on Thursday declared a national day of mourning in memory of slain Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.

The South Asian nation will observe a day of mourning and "condemnation" on Friday, according to a statement.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif added his voice earlier Wednesday to growing criticism concerning the assassination of Haniyeh in a missile strike in the Iranian capital Tehran, describing it as a “blatant violation of international law.”

“Israel has trampled upon all international laws by committing this act,” Sharif said while addressing ruling alliance lawmakers in Islamabad, according to state-run Pakistan Television.

Hamas and Iran announced the assassination of Haniyeh early Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his residence in Tehran. The strike was one day after he attended the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Though Israel has remained silent about Haniyeh's death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at Tel Aviv's involvement in the assassination.

Lamenting the silence of the West on Haniyeh’s assassination, Sharif said the killing is a “test” for the so-called developed world.

“Netanyahu is committing blatant brutalities but the international community is observing a silence on them, “ he said.

Paying tributes to the slain Hamas leader for his “sacrifices” for the Palestine cause, Sharif noted that Israel also killed his sons and other family members during the current onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

Several religious and political parties announced demonstrations Friday across Pakistan to condemn Haniyeh’s assassination.

- Mahathir pays tributes to 'soft-spoken, impressive' Haniyeh

Veteran Malaysian statesman Mahathir Mohamed paid tribute Thursday to a “soft-spoken” and “impressive” Haniyeh.

“I felt great sadness and was also extremely angry when I received news on the assassination of Mr. Ismail Haniyeh,” said the former prime minister.

Mahathir said he was “lucky and proud to have made Mr. Haniyeh's acquaintance over the years.”

“A soft-spoken man, yet with the heart of a lion, Mr. Haniyeh's unrelenting quest in fighting for the liberation of Palestine against Israel's occupation is indeed something every freedom fighter should emulate,” said Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia twice.

He said Haniyeh was an “impressive man whose courage to stand up for his people obviously stemmed from a clear conscience and guided by a moral compass that is based on humanity and religious conviction.

“Palestinians and the rest of the conscientious world has lost a great man, a leader and a liberator,” he said as he slammed Israel as a “rogue, genocidal nation.”

“Mr. Haniyeh stood as a reminder of what a pariah state Israel is, and that all those who support the Zionist regime are themselves hypocrites and the actual terrorists,” he added.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

At least 39,445 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.