August 26, 2003	Tuesday	Jumadi-us-Sani 27, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Activists of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) held a protest demonstration outside the National Assembly on Friday and demanded resignation of the state minister for parliamentary affairs, Raza Hayat Hiraj, and MNA Dr Sher Afgan for “misbehaving with a woman parliamentarian on the floor of the house.”

The protesters were carrying placards inscribed with slogans like “Go Musharraf go”, “No LFO no” and “No to lota assembly”. The demonstrators were also carrying “lotas” (a symbol for defectors) and later they kicked them to show their anger.

The protest rally was led by woman activists Shahzada Kausar Gillani and Nargis Faiz Malik.

The rally was held just before the start of the National Assembly session. A large number of policemen were deputed to meet any untoward incident.

The demonstrators asked Raza Hayat Hiraj and Dr Sher Afgan to appologize from Naheed Khan for using “abusive language” against her.”

The protest rally was also addressed by the leaders of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and Muttahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). Those who spoke on the occasion included MNAs Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Fauzia Wahab, Chaudhry Zammarud, Tehmina Daultana and Hafiz Hussain Ahmed.

The speakers urged the demonstrators to show patience and do not take law into their hands, as the government wanted to provoke them. They said the government itself was bringing the LFO issue outside parliament through negative tactics. They said on the one hand the government talked about women uplift and women rights while on the other, its ministers and members were “misbehaving” with the women opposition members.

The opposition leaders vowed to continue their protest against the LFO inside and outside parliament.

At one stage, the police tried to arrest some activists, but later on the assurance that they would disperse peacefully the arrested persons were released.