LAHORE, Jan 26: The Lahore chapter of the JUP staged a demonstration on Sunday to condemn the US for planning an attack on Iraq.

The demonstration was led by Qari Zawwar Bahadur, Hafiz Muhammad Akbar and others. The participants carried banners and placards and raised slogans against the US and its president.

The demonstration was held in front of the Lahore Press Club but the participants walked up to the television station. They also burnt an American flag and an effigy of President Bush.

A strong contingent of police was present on the occasion to guard against any untoward incident but the demonstrators dispersed peacefully after listening to the brief speeches by their leaders.

Qari Zawwar Bahadur and others demanded expulsion of US Ambassador Nancy Powell and asked the government to treat Americans in Pakistan as America was treating Pakistanis there.

They said the US insistence on attacking Iraq despite the failure of the UN inspectors to find any weapon of mass destruction there was mere injustice and terrorism.

They said the entire world was opposing the war on Iraq but the US was just ignoring the voice of dissent. Israel and North Korea were openly boasting of their nuclear weapons but the US was not willing to proceed against them. Its dual policy would destroy the world peace, they said.