LAHORE: The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) has condemned the Houthi drone attack on the power station that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, Al Masjid-E-Nabawi, in Madinah. It is the party’s latest statement in a month-long campaign over the security of Muslim’s holiest sites.
In a joint statement, party leaders called the attack on the Taibah power distribution station a matter of serious concern and said the sanctity and security of Madinah could not be compromised. They said the people of Pakistan stood with Saudi Arabia and supported its efforts to protect the Haramain Sharifain.
The leaders called for unity among Muslim countries to protect sacred sites, worshippers and pilgrims, and urged the international community to oppose attacks on civilian infrastructure and religious places.
The statement was signed by PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu, Secretary General Saifullah Kasuri, Vice Presidents Hafiz Talha Saeed and Hafiz Abdul Rauf, Joint Secretary Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh and central spokesman Dr Muzamil Iqbal Hashmi. It was also signed by Khidmat-i-Khalq Chairman Chaudhry Shafiq-ur-Rehman Waraich, Muslim Youth League President Tabish Qayyum and Muslim Students League President Umar Abbas.
The breadth of signatories is the real message. Joint statements usually come from a party’s top leaders. This one also includes the heads of the PMML’s welfare, youth and student wings, the organisations that carry a party’s message onto campuses and into streets.
It follows a sustained run of activity. The party urged more Muslim states to join the Makkah defence pact in early September. It then issued a statement on Haramain security as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia intensified, and held countrywide protests after the drone attempt on Makkah. Last week, it backed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s stance at the UN that the holy cities are a red line.
The PMML’s statement came on the same day as the Foreign Office’s. On Friday, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack on the Taibah station as a “grave provocation” and a matter of deep anguish for millions of Muslims. It called for an “immediate and unconditional end” to such reckless actions and reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and its efforts to protect the Two Holy Mosques.
The two statements differ in one respect. The Foreign Office warned of a threat to regional peace and committed Pakistan to continued efforts for stability. The PMML called for unity among Muslim countries. Both, however, use almost the same language on the sanctity of the holy sites and the safety of pilgrims.
On the Haramain, then, the PMML’s position closely matches the government’s. Its call for Muslim unity echoes Islamabad’s case for the Makkah pact with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, which Pakistan says is purely defensive.
The difference is in the method. The government speaks through diplomacy. The PMML is using public mobilisation, and with its youth and student wings now formally on board, it is preparing for its campaign to continue for some time.
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