The Pakistani government announced late Thursday that New Year’s Eve celebrations are prohibited in order to demonstrate support for the Palestinians in Gaza and to encourage people to “observe simplicity” instead.
Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar announced in an evening televised address to the country that the government has “completely banned all kinds of events regarding the New Year celebrations” due to the situation in the Gaza Strip.
In reaction for Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, Israel launched a continuous aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, this action has killed at least 21,320 people, the majority of whom are women and children, and destroyed a large portion of the territory’s northern region.
The October 7 attack by the Palestinian militants left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Kakar said Thursday, “The entire Pakistani nation and the Muslim Ummah were deeply saddened by the genocide of the oppressed Palestinians, especially the massacre of innocent children, in Gaza and the West Bank.”
In Pakistan, New Year’s Eve is typically celebrated with gusto, featuring aerial gunfire and fireworks, along with a bank holiday on January 1.
The United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah emirate on Thursday outlawed New Year’s Eve fireworks due to the Gaza conflict.
In a Facebook post, Sharjah police described the restriction as “a sincere expression of solidarity and humanitarian cooperation with our siblings in the Gaza Strip”.
