The angry demonstrators on Friday torched two police motorcycles, set a police picket near Aabpara Chowk alight and critically injured a traffic Sergeant during an anti-government rally of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to denounce Islamabad Police crackdown against the religious seminaries and Ulema.
No police or law enforcement troops were present on the occasion to guard the rally.
The rampant mob, most of them students of religious schools, attacked a police official when he was busy to control flow of huge traffic after the rally concluded near Aabpara, police said. The official was severely beaten up by some masked protestors with wooden sticks, causing injuries to his forehead, arms and hands. However, eyewitnesses said he later managed to escape from the site to save himself.
The two motorcycles bearing number IDP 1068 and IDP 4888 burnt up by the crowd were parked near Aabpara bus stop to divert traffic.
According to reports, the six-party religious alliance had called for holding nation-wide rallies after Jumma prayers to condemn series of raids on madrassas and mosques to arrest extremists having suspected links with terror network.
In this connection, a rally was also arranged here which started from Aabpara Chowk and marched towards Press Club near Melody. MNA from the federal capital Mian Aslam supervised the protest rally and announced that protest demonstrations will be staged on every Friday after Jumma prayers to denounce the government policies and the US and UK governments anti-Muslim stance in the wake of London bombings.
The protestors were demanding release of religious activists and Ulema who have been arrested during a police crackdown in Islamabad and across the country on the pretext of extremism.
We want them freed, otherwise the MMA would launch countrywide violent protest drive against the government, said Mian Mohammad Aslam. "The raids on madrassas are being conducted to appease the United States and UK."
So far, Police during a countrywide crackdown have arrested about 200 religious activists this week in raids on religious schools.
About 1,000 protesters took part in the demonstration and denounced President Musharraf, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush.
LAHORE: A demonstration was held outside Mansoora, which was led by MMA deputy secretary general and JI Punjab Ameer Liaqat Baloch.
Addressing the protestors, he said the British investigators failed to track down the culprits like those of the US. He said they immediately termed the alleged bombers as Pakistanis and linked them with religious madaris without giving any proof, which showed that they acted upon mere emotions and not according to the facts.
He said president Musharraf and other high government officials including Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had visited a number of seminaries in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and other parts of the country and praised their commendable role in promoting knowledge and high moral values.
Jamaat-i-Islami secretary general Syed Munawar Hasan said that MMA is exposing the secular agenda of the rulers so that people could know the reality behind the crackdown on madaris and religious parties.
Member National Assembly Maulana Abdul Malik termed the police raid on Jamia Hafsa a display of state terrorism. Secretary-General Jamaat-i-Islami Lahore Amirul Azim said nation would not allow General Musharraf to succeed in his conspiracies aimed at lengthening his rule by crushing MMA.
MULTAN: Police did not let the MMA activists to reach the venue to stage a demonstration to condemn the raids on seminaries and large-scale arrests of activists of religious parties to keep them out of local bodies elections.
Heavy police contingent was deployed on roads that lead to the venue. Police also strictly checked the ban on the use of loudspeakers in mosques and did not let 'Khateebs' and religious scholars to make their Friday speeches on speakers.
Then workers of the MMA staged a demonstration in Jamia-ul-Uloom to register their protest against the police highhandedness and gagging the voice of religious forces.
Mufti Hidayatullah Pasroori, chief of MMA Multan, addressing the rally said: "We are neither terrorists nor imparting military training. "We are providing religious education and boarding-lodging facilities to the poor people."
"There is no justification for conducting raids on seminaries and launching a drive against workers of religious parties when the local bodies election process has begun," he said, adding, "it is an attempt to oust MMA candidates and religious parties from the election arena and to get elected the ruling party candidates." Mufti Hidayat urged the Election
Commission to take notice of these large-scale arrests and detention under MPO-3.
The demonstrators were also addressed by local MMA leaders, including Rao Zafar Iqbal, Kanwar Siddique, Chaudhry Latif and Dr Muhammad Arif Khan.
KARACHI:
PPI ADDS: The MMA staged a big protest demonstration outside the Jamaa Masjid Binnori Town against the crackdown on madressahs, arrests of journalists, hawkers, and torture on female students of Jamia Hafsa, Islamabad.
Thousands of people gathered at the Jamaa Masjid Binnori Town after Friday prayers on the call of MMA demonstrated against government policies and violation of freedom of expression.
The protestors carrying placards chanted anti-government slogans. Ameer Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi Merajul Huda Siddiqui speaking the rally said after London bomb blasts, Pakistan government had started crackdowns on its citizens and seized Islamic literature and the move should be condemned.
"Government should stop action against madressahs and Islamic literature, otherwise we will launch countrywide campaign," he warned.
He said government had banned all books having materials against Jews, Christians, Hindus, Qadyanis, US, Israel, Britain, Europe and those promoting Jihad spirit.
He said British media is also criticising its government policies but neither raid was conducted there on media offices nor journalists or hawkers arrested there. But, in Pakistan what was happening showed nothing but rulers' enmity with pro-Islamic citizens, he observed.
The MMA Sindh Vice President, Allama Hasan Turabi, said General Pervez Musharraf had asked Pakistanis not to vote for pro-Islamic candidates in the Local government polls, which exposed his irritation.
He claimed more than 300 ulema and namazis had been killed in Pakistan but the government did not launch effective action against killers.
However, London bomb blasts have provoked the rulers, which proves its insincerity with the citizens of their own country, he added.
JUP leader Qazi Ahmad Noorani demanded of the government to stop raids on madressahs and release all detained ulema, journalists and hawkers.
"Madaris and mosques are spreading message of love with Almighty Allah and its Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), therefore, action against these institutions is shameful.'
Muhammad Hussain Mehenati, MMA MNA, said obscene magazines were allowed to be purchased here but Islamic literature was banned. Officials directed publishers, booksellers not to sell any book having material against anti-Islamic elements.