March 7, 2003	Friday	Muharram 3, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, March 6: The Rawalpindi Bar Association on Thursday took out a peace rally against the possible US attack on Iraq.

The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the US policies. They were also demanding of the Muslim world to forge unity among their ranks to defy the imperialist agenda of the US. They were demanding of the United Nations to play its role in solving the world issues peacefully.

The procession started at about 11:45am from district courts and culminated near Moti Mahal after passing through Katchehry Chowk and Mareer Chowk.

Earlier, the bar members, speaking on the issue, rejected war as a solution to the Iraq crisis.

The bar president, Sheikh Mohammad Ilyas, said at one side the US was preaching democracy while on the other hand it was not willing to see a democratic government in the Third world. He regretted that at this time of crisis, there was no leader in the whole Muslim world, who could challenge the US policies.

He said Muslims should consider an attack on Iraq as an attack on the whole Ummat. He added that it’s time that all the Muslim states must forget their petty differences.

Other speakers also termed the US aggression as part of the US plan to capture the oil reservoirs of Iraq and asked the policy-makers of the world to stop America from shedding the blood of the innocent Iraqis.

Citing the example of Afghanistan, they maintained that those who thought that war could bring peace and democracy in Iraq were living in fool’s paradise.

They maintained that war could only bring devastation while only the US would get the maximum benefit.