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| October 27, 2001 | Saturday | Shaba'an 9, 1422 |
Anti-US protesters block Silk Route, Indus Highway
MINGORA, Oct 26: Armed men blocked the main silk route (Karakoram Highway) demanding President Gen Pervez Musharraf to step down, or else they would continue the blockade of the international route for an indefinite period.
It was reported here on Friday that the protestors belonging to various religious and political groups, armed with Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers, and some other lethal weapons have blocked the silk route at Ranulya, Samarnala, Jeejan and some other places.
They are reported to have said that the government’s Afghan policy had failed and the country was facing acute crisis, which could be resolved only after the resignation of the President Musharraf.
The people of Besham and adjacent localities have already blocked the silk route with he same demand.
Meanwhile, the activists of the Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi have decided to leave for Afghanistan today Saturday, who have already gathered at Timergara, headquarter of the district Dir lower for the last three days.
According to sources some 400 armed people had gathered in Maidan, home town of the TNSM amir Maulana Sufi Muhammad, 700 had come to Timergara from Buner district, 1,600 had arrived from Swat, 150 had gathered in the Chargorai village, 120 in the Balambat area, 150 in the Timer town, 110 in the Odigram village, 500 in Mayar Jandool.
It was reported that their departure for Afghanistan had been delayed for a day or two in order to scrutinize the people whether they were all able to go or not.
KARAK: An angry mob blocked the Indus Highway for one hour near Karak on Friday in protest against the US strikes on Afghanistan.
A large number of workers of religious parties and students, led by leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan Defence Council and councillor Malik Ali Marjan Khan staged protest demonstration on the highway after Friday prayer.
The protesters, chanting anti-US and anti-government slogans, staged sit-in on the highway for an hour, which disrupted the traffic.
Later it turned into a protest meeting which was addressed by Maulana Noor Ahmad Khan, Maulana Noor Gul and Malik Marjan. The councillor announced his resignation in protest against the government’s policy of siding with the US against Afghanistan.
MANSEHRA: An anti-US rally was taken out here on Friday on the call of Pakistan Afghanistan Defence Council to condemn the killing of civilians in the allied forces’ aerial strikes on Afghanistan.
The rally, started after the Friday prayers, turned into a public meeting at the main chowk.
Speaking on the occasion, leaders of the council expressed deep anguish over the killing of civilians in the US bombardment and urged the world community to stop the attacks.
They said that the military action could not eliminate terrorism from the region. They called upon the President Gen Pervez Musharraf to withdraw support to the US forces.
The demonstrators also include children carrying pistols and revolvers chanting slogans against America and Gen Pervez Musharraf.
The demonstrators led by Maulana Ahmad according to reports blocked the KKH by rolling heavy boulders from the mountains onto the silk route. After evening prayers, the protesters nominated Maulana Muhammad Fiyaz as Amirul Mujahideen to lead them in Jihad in Afghanistan.
They have pledged to continue the blockade of the KKH until the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf shuns the support of US-led coalition against Afghanistan.
The district bar association (DBA) Mansehra boycotted the courts and staged a protest demonstration to condemn the attacks on Afghanistan. As many as 150 lawyers headed by the DBA president Hafiz Muhammad Nasim (Advocate) carrying placards marched through the bazaars of the town and culminated at Markazi Jamia Masjid on Abbottabad Road.
The procession peacefully terminated at the district bar room.
The Jamaat-i-Islami also organized a protest rally in the Oghi tehsil and condemned the killing of innocent Afghans.
BUNER: The Jamat-i-Islami organized a big protest demonstration at Swari Chowk here after the Friday prayers.
The angry protesters marched from the nearby mosques, carrying placards and banners inscribed with such slogans as “War till collapse of America” and “Osama and Taliban to emerge victors”.
The activists of the Jamaat’s student wing — Islami Jamiat Tulaba — were found chanting full-throated slogans during the speeches.
Among the speakers were Haji Fazal Raziq, Hazrat Mehmood, Abdul Ghaffar, Maulana Abdur Rehman and Maulana Sharif.
They bitterly criticized America for killing more than two lakh people in Iraq and for “wanting to stage the same drama in Afghanistan on the pretext of launching a hunt for Osama.”
They said the brave and warring Afghans would never let foreign forces occupy their country. Rather, they would teach the US the same bitter lesson they taught Russia and Britain.
The JI leaders extended all-out cooperation to the Afghans and vowed to resist the government, which, according to them, was following in the footsteps of Kemal Ataturk.
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