ISLAMABAD, Jan 23: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) activists and family members of KRL officials staged separate protest demonstrations in the federal capital against 'debriefing' of nuclear scientists and military operation in tribal areas.
The first demonstration was orgnanized by the religio-political alliance after Friday prayers outside Lal Masjid at Aabpara. The demonstrators warned that they would march on Islamabad if the KRL scientists were not released immediately and the ongoing operation in Wana, South Waziristan Agency, was not stopped.
Speaking to the demonstrators, mostly the MMA activists and madressah students, the MMA deputy secretary-general, Liaquat Baloch, said the government befooled the nation by creating constitutional crisis of Legal Framework Order (LFO) that lasted for 14 months.
"The attention of the people was diverted to self-generated political crisis and in the meantime a plan against nuclear programme and scientists was made," he maintained.
He said the MMA would not allow the government to make "national heroes" scapegoats just to please the US. Mr Baloch said the acting president of the MMA, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, would lead a rally and a public meeting in Rawalpindi on Sunday to express solidarity with the nuclear scientists.
He said the government had made a deal on Kashmir and now victimizing the people of tribal areas on the pretext of an operation against terrorists.
MNA Mian Muhammad Aslam said the government should not take the MMA warnings lightly because now after having two provincial governments and reasonable seats in parliament, it was in a position to stop government from wrong doings. He said: "India made its nuclear scientist President and in Pakistan we are harassing and maligning those who stood the country in the comity of nuclear states".
He said the Musharraf regime on the US pressure had capped Pakistan's nuclear programme. He demanded that former presidents and premiers including, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Farooq Ahmed Khan Laghari, Rafiq Tarar, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, should also be included in investigation process of nuke leakage.
The family members of the KRL scientists detained for "debriefing" in alleged leaks of nuclear information to Iran and Libya also participated in the protest.
Participants of the demonstration were raising slogans like "FBI get out of Pakistan," "Pakistanis feel unsafe," "Stop harassing Dr A.Q. Khan and other scientists."
JAMAL SHAHID ADDS: Meanwhile, families of the detained KRL scientists also staged demonstration outside the Supreme Court to condemn the detention of the KRL officials and scientists and demanded their early release.
Despite continuous downpour, a large number of protesters including women, doctors, scientists, engineers and lawyers from Pakistan Professional Forum (PPF), some belonging to PML-N, stood on the Constitution Avenue and chanted slogan against the government. The protesters carrying placards inscribed with slogans like "New version of American slavery - debriefing", "FBI get out of Pakistan" and "Harassment of professionals causing worst brain drain".
The detention of scientists under the garb of debriefing has caused unrest among professionals and such actions by the government was gross injustice, PPF president Asif Luqman Qazi said.
