KARACHI, Oct 26: The Pakistan-Afghanistan Defence Council (PADC) demanded on Friday the formation of a broad-based national government in Pakistan immediately otherwise there would be a threat of civil war.

The demand was made at a massive rally held under the aegis of the PADC to demonstrate support for the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The participants of the rally staged a “million march” from the Quaid’s mausoleum to Tibet Centre on M. A. Jinnah Road.

This was the biggest-ever gathering held so far in the city to protest against the US-led coalition’s bombing of Afghanistan and against Gen Musharraf’s policy of facilitating US attacks on Afghanistan.

Participants, who started converging from different parts of the city at the Purani Numaish roundabout after Friday prayers, came in buses, coaches and in the form of processions carrying party banners, portraits of Osama bin Laden, and placards raising slogans against George W. Bush and Gen Musharraf.

Before the termination of the rally, participants, who had covered both sides of M. A. Jinnah Road, were addressed by PADC leaders who condemned the US bombing of Afghanistan and the Musharraf government for handing over Pakistan’s airbases to the US-led coalition army to fulfil designs against the Ummah.

The speakers also took pledge from the people by raising hands to go to Afghanistan to wage Jihad against “infidel” forces led by the US and join in a long march to encircle Islamabad to remove the Musharraf government whenever a call would be given to them.

The chief of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, was to be the main speaker of the “million march,” but he had been detained by the government.

PADC Chairman Maulana Samiul Haque, who arrived from the NWFP, in a hard hitting speech against the Musharraf government accused him of “betraying the cause of Muslims and bringing a bad name to the armed forces.” According to Maulana Haque, the US war in Afghanistan is not against terrorism, but a crusade, as stated by President Bush himself.

Maulana Haque, who is also chief of his own faction of the JUI, referred to the US designs aimed at gaining full control over Afghanistan, to be followed by bringing the Central Asian Republics under its control and to keep China under pressure. To attain this end the US was using Pakistan and Turkey, he claimed.

He warned against “changing the map of Pakistan starting with separation of Karachi” and said “if the country is enslaved, our nuclear weapons would be rendered useless.”

Without naming the detention of nuclear scientist Bashiruddin Mehmoud, he said: “Already the US has demanded handing over of our scientists responsible for developing nuclear technology.”

He recalled that the US secretary of state was already on record having said that “after Afghanistan they would pay attention to terrorism in Srinagar.” The US had been saying that after dealing with the issue of Osama in Afghanistan, it would deal with Osama’s men who were in 55 countries, and the US had also been threatening Libya, Iraq and Syria, he said.

Hafiz Husain Ahmed, a central leader of the JUI (F), said Gen Musharraf had been talking of a broad-based government in Afghanistan although Pakistan itself was in need of a broad-based national government to resolve all issues, including Afghanistan.

Referring to the handing over of airbases and airports in Pasni, Khuzdar, Gwadar and Dalbandin and the Ormara port, he castigated the Musharraf government for it, and said this million march and other big rallies being held throughout the country had proved that the people of Pakistan were not with the government.

He mentioned the treason case registered against Maulana Fazlur Rahman and urged the PADC to launch a movement for the removal of the Musharraf government as he had become “a security risk for the country.”

The Secretary-General of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Munawwar Hasan, said whenever a superpower was destined for its destruction, its attention was diverted towards Afghanistan. History testified to this fact.

He pointed out the double standards of the US government which did not consider the killing of human beings by itself, Britain, Israel and India acts of terrorism. He urged people to wait for a call to march towards Islamabad soon.

Others who spoke at the rally were, among others, Mufti Osmanyar Khan of the Swad-i-Azam Ahle Sunnat, Allama Arshad Wazirabadi of the Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Dr Khadim Husain of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Maulana Asad Thanvi of the PADC Sindh and Hafiz Mohammed Taqi of the JUP (Tayyab).