The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party has decided to postpone its planned protest sit-in outside the Sindh Governor’s House in Karachi. The decision came in following the assassination of Hamas Political Wing Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

The JI had earlier announced a protest against inflated electricity bills in the city, and was scheduled to hold a sit-in outside the Governor’s House today. However, following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the party has now postponed the demonstration as a mark of respect.

Instead, the JI has announced that it will hold funeral prayers in absentia for Ismail Haniyeh at M.A. Jinnah Road in Karachi at 5 pm today.

Haniyeh, who was the head of the Hamas political wing, was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, where he had been attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president.

Hamas has condemned the assassination, calling Haniyeh a “brother, leader, and mujahid” and vowing that his killing “will not go unpunished.” The incident has also drawn condemnation from various world leaders.

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The postponement of the JI’s protest in Karachi reflects the party’s solidarity with the Palestinian cause and its mourning of the loss of a prominent Hamas leader.

The decision highlights the broader impact that geopolitical events can have on local political activities and demonstrations.