KARACHI, Feb 22: Hundreds of faculty members, students and non- teaching staff at the University of Karachi took out a rally, which marched through various faculties and departments and culminated at the point terminus, to express solidarity with the people of Iraq.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans such as “No to war”, “attack on Iraq is war against Islam”, and “war is murder of humanity”, the teachers and students chanted slogans in favour of peace and against aggressive designs of the US and its allies.

The rally was organized by the Karachi University Teachers’ Society and the Students’ Alliance.

At the KU bus terminus, leaders of the KUTS and the Students’ Alliance addressed the participants and expressed solidarity with the people of Iraq. They said like people of other countries, Pakistanis too wanted a peaceful solution to the crisis.

KUTS President Prof Sarwar Nasim denounced the US administration and its main ally, Britain, for their insistence on waging war against Iraq despite the latter’s cooperation with the UN arms inspectors on its territory. They said peace-loving nations would never tolerate aggression against Iraq.

Praising the European Union, especially France and Germany, for their principled stance against possible US strike on Iraq, he said Pakistan and other Muslim countries should also adopt a clear-cut policy on the issue.

He pointed out that Muslim countries should resolve their issues themselves without intervention from others, as non-Muslims instead of helping them were trying to occupy their resources.

President of the Students’ Alliance, Osama Shafique, said US attack on Iraq would destroy peace of the world as oppressed people would never allow the aggressors to occupy their land.

He said destruction of weapons of mass destruction was only an excuse for US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to occupy Iraqi oil fields and to strengthen their recessing economy.—PPI