Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar announced a complete ban on all New Year’s Eve celebrations in Pakistan. This decision was made as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza. Moreover, the decision expresses the Pakistani government’s deep sorrow and concern over the ongoing conflict.
In a televised address on Thursday night, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar announced a complete ban on all New Year’s Eve celebrations across the country. The decision is a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The poor people who have been affected by Israel’s recent military actions since October 7th. However, Pakistan has a long history of supporting the Palestinian cause and expressing solidarity with Gaza.
Prime Minister Kakar highlighted the distress caused by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. He expresses deep sorrow for the suffering of the Palestinian people, particularly the loss of innocent lives, including many women and children. In addition, Israeli forces have killed 21,320 Gazans, mostly women and children.
Due to the ban, the usual lively festivities on New Year’s Eve in Pakistan. It features fireworks and aerial gunfire, which will be absent this year. Additionally, January 1, which is usually a bank holiday, will not see the usual celebratory events.
Details of the Ban
The ban covered all kinds of public and private celebrations, including:
- Organized events: parties, concerts, fireworks displays, etc.
- Private gatherings: large house parties, street festivities, etc.
- Certain activities: celebratory gunfire, loud music, etc.
- The government urged the people to observe simplicity and refrain from any form of extravagant New Year’s celebrations.
- Mosques were encouraged to hold special prayers for the Palestinian people.
This move aligns with a similar decision made in Sharjah, a part of the United Arab Emirates. New Year’s Eve fireworks were also banned as a demonstration of solidarity with the people of Gaza. The Sharjah police described the ban as a sincere expression of support and humanitarian cooperation with those affected by the conflict in Gaza.
