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| April 12, 2003 | Saturday | Safar 9, 1424 |
Rally condemns US invasion of Iraq
ISLAMABAD April 11: Markazi Anjuman Asna Ashri, Anjuman Jaan Nisaran Ahl-i-Bait, Anjuman-i-Zulfikar Haidari and several other organizations held a rally on Friday to condemn the US war on Iraq.
Nearly, 300 men, women and children participated in the rally which began from G-6 Imambargah and ended at China Chowk. They were carrying placards and chanted anti-US slogans.
The president of Anjuman Jaan Nisaran Ahl-i-Bait, Syed Tatheer Alam Rizvi, said Ba’ath Party comprised 13 to 14 per cent of the elite and the privileged class that ruled Iraq. Over 70 per cent of the Iraqi people are Shia who were killed just because Saddam Hussain allowed the Americans into Iraq.
“Holy shrines in Iraq are places of peace and worship. They are very sacred to the hearts and souls of the Muslims all over the world”, he said. Saddam Hussain is a tyrant like Bush and Blair, he added.
The participants of the rally passed several resolutions on the occasion. One of the resolutions demanded of the coalition forces to stop further bombing on civilians and clear the way for humanitarian aid.
Markazi Anjuman Asna Ashri demanded that the coalition forces should make sure that no harm was done to the holy sites and every means of communication be restored to the pilgrims.
The speakers said for four decades, a major part of the population in Iraq had been denied any representation in the governance of the country. The coalition forces and the UN must ensure their due and rightful representation in the future government, they added.
The coalition forces must ensure the safety of all civilians, specially Ulema, the speakers said.
OUR STAFF REPORTER ADDS: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) on Friday observed ‘Prayer Day’ throughout the country for the safety of Iraqi people and also for those who were martyred in the US-led bombardment.
Special prayers were held after Friday congregation. The MMA information secretary, Malik Mohammad Azam, told Dawn that ‘Prayer Day’ was also observed in other parts of the country.
Leading religious leaders, in their Friday sermons, spoke highly of the Iraqi people’s sacrifices, who were subjected to a rein of terror by the US-led forces.
They also spoke of the plight of the Muslim world. They said Muslims were grieved over the prevailing disunity and apathetic attitude, and were looking towards America and the West instead of utilizing their own resources and talent.
The Muslim rulers are more concerned about their governments than the interests of the Muslims.
“It is due to the wrong policies of the Muslim rulers that after the fall of Afghanistan, Baghdad has also succumbed,” they added.
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