02 January 2005	Sunday	20 Ziqa'ad 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: Opposition parties on Saturday staged rallies across the country against President Pervez Musharraf's decision not to quit the post of the army chief as he had promised to the nation in 2003.

The rallies were held in major cities and towns across the country in response to MMA's call, fully supported by the ARD, to the people to observe a peaceful "black day" to protest against General Musharraf's move.

Speaking to participants of the rallies, ARD and MMA leaders denounced President Musharraf for violating his pledge to give up his army uniform by the end of 2004.

Rainy and cold weather badly dampened the show of force of the opposition in the capital. There was little or no presence of the alliance workers in demonstrations in Islamabad

Another reason for the little participation of the workers of the opposition in rallies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was imposition of Section 144.

Small protest rallies were held in Rawalpindi's Mareer Chowk, G.T. Road and a few in Islamabad because of the weather.

MMA's MNA Mian Muhammad Aslam led a few rallies in Rawat, Tarnol, Bharakahu etc where workers hoisted black flags and wore black arm-bands.

LAHORE: The MMA and ARD staged separate protest rallies in different parts of the city on Saturday.

The MMA staged four protest demonstrations in the city.

The demonstrations were organized at Muslim Town Morr on Ferozpur Road, Yateem Khana Chowk on Multan Road, Muslim Masjid at Lohari Gate, and Saddar Bazaar in Cantonment.

The peaceful demonstrations were led by MNAs Liaqat Baloch, Farid Piracha, Hafiz Salman Butt, MPA Ehsanullah Waqas, respectively.

The participants were carrying black flags and placards inscribed with their demands and the opposition workers were wearing black arm-bands.

Heavy police contingents in riot gear were present to prevent any untoward incident.

However, the participation of workers in demonstrations remained relatively small.

Speaking to protesters at Muslim Town Morr, Mr Baloch said both the MMA and the ARD were holding meetings of their senior leaders within a couple of days to decide about a joint line of action against the army ruler.

He said MMA activists would continue holding demonstrations on each Friday til the next line of action was decided.

He alleged that on the US dictation, Gen Musharraf was damaging Islamabad's relations with Beijing and Tehran and had practically handed over nuclear assets to the US.

Criticizing Chaudhrys of Gujrat for not getting the promise of the president on uniform implemented as had been decided in the LFO talks, he said they had earlier given a warm welcome to Nawaz Sharif in their hometown Gujrat and were now greeting an "enemy" of the Sharifs (Gen Musharraf) there.

"They are betrayers and a stigma on the face of politics." Referring to talks' offer of the government to the MMA, he said how they could trust the man (Gen Musharraf) for talks who had backed out of his earlier pledge made to 140 million people of the country to shed his army uniform by Dec 31.

On Multan Road rally, MNA Farid Piracha said: "Gen Musharraf's uniform had become a symbol of betrayal of Muslims as it is soaked in the blood of innocent Muslims of Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir and Palestine."

He accused President Musharraf of insulting Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal by attributing to them what he called baseless ideologies in the name of enlightened moderation.

Hafiz Salman Butt and Ehsanullah Waqas addressed the protesters at Lohari Gate and Saddar.

About three dozen leaders and workers of the 16-party Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy protested on Saturday against President Musharraf's decision to retain his military office.

The call to observe the "black day" was been given by the MMA and the ARD responded it as a mark of solidarity.

The ARD protested in front of the Nicholson Road's residence of the alliance's Senior Vice-President Nawabzada Mansoor Khan.

Parties which comprised only their presidents or chairmen were represented by their top leadership. However, other parties like the PPP and the PML-N were represented by lower level leaders.

Of the protesters, most had come only to deliver speeches and mobilize the city of seven million people.

The police force outnumbered the protesters.

The protest continued for about half an hour. PPP's Altaf Qureshi, Naveed Chaudhry, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan, Samiullah Khan, Sajida Mir, Iqbal Sialvi, Shahida Jabeen, Sohail Malik and Dr Fakhruddin, and PML-N's Mian Javed Lateef, Haji Imdad Husain, Tayyaba Zameer and Dr Makhdoomi were prominent among the participants.

Other leaders who participated or addressed the rallies were: Rana Nazrur Rehman, Khwaja Izhar, Alim Bhatty, Hameeduddin Mashraqi, Qazi Abdul Qadeer Khamosh, Saifullah Saif, Manzoor Gilani, Munir Gilani and Joseph Francis.

KARACHI: The Karachi chapter of the MMA held a rally at Lasbela Chowk where their supporters converged and after a few speeches the participants, holding banners and placards and MMA flags, formed a procession and marched up to Guru Mander where party leaders addressed the rally.

Prof Shah Faridul Haque, President of Jamiat-i-Ulema-i- Pakistan and a central leader of MMA, said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and anyone who was talking against tenets of Islam had no right to live in Pakistan.

He said if the column of religion was not restored in the new passport, people would be forced to have doubts in the faith of the rulers.

He contested the claim that the government policies had resulted in improvement in the economy, the common man was facing it extremely difficult to survive because of the hyper-inflation.

Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Additional Secretary General of the MMA, said The black day was being observed from Khyber to Karachi to protest against making the constitution controversial.

He said that the MMA had provided the army a constitutional way to return to barracks but Gen Musharraf had adopted an adamant attitude.

Jamaat-i-Islami Secretary-General Syed Munawwar Hasan, who is also a central leader of the MMA, said that Gen Musharraf was working in Pakistan on the dictates of the US and he had crossed all other rulers in pursuing what he called the anti-Muslim agenda. He said the day was not far off when the people would force him not only to give up the COAS office but he would have to step down even from the Presidency.

Fidayeen Khatam-i-Nabuwat Tehreek leader Khwaja Khan Muhammad Rabbani said that Gen Musharraf had made fun of Islamic tenets and Islam and they would not rest until he was removed from power

Tehreek-i-Islami leader Allama Hasan Turabi said that the present rally was against the autocratic rulers and if President Musharraf did not give up the office of the COAS the nation would do it itself.

Others who spoke on the occasion were: Maulana Omar Sadiq, Dr Mairajul Huda Aqeel, Anjum Hafiz Muhammad Taqi, Qazi Ahmad Noorani, Mufti Abdul Haleem and others.

PESHAWAR: The ruling Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Saturday observed black day in all parts of the NWFP to protest President Gen Pervez Musharraf's decision to keep his army chief post for the next three years.

Despite widespread rains and snowfall, the MMA workers held rallies in all big and small towns of the province, demanding of Gen Musharraf to shed his military uniform and abandon his what they called so-called secular agenda.

The alliance staged a protest rally in Peshawar, which was led by senior provincial minister Sirajul Haq, minister for religious affairs Maulana Amanullah Haqqani and parliamentarians.

The anti-uniform rally began from Haji Camp on the G.T Road and passed through Ashraf Road, Chowk Yadgar, Bazaar Misgiran, Qissakhwani Bazaar and culminated at Kabuli Chowk where the MMA leaders addressed the workers.

The MMA workers termed Musharraf a stooge of the US who had been imposed on the country to destroy the country's Islamic identity. Speaking on the occasion senior minister Sirajul Haq said that President Musharraf's decision had forced people to come out on the roads to observe black day.

"We are not crazy people, but have a principal stand on issues," he remarked. He said by removing religious column from the passport now no one would distinguish between Muslims and Qadyanis.

He challenged Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao to resign from their seats and contest by-polls against the MMA candidates to test their popularity against the alliance.

Other speakers criticized the government for removing religious column from the new passport and handing over the affairs of the education boards to the Aga Khan Board.

The rally passed a resolution, demanding restoration of religious column in passport, stopping of the establishment of the Aga Khan Board and asking president to retain one office.

The MMA activists also staged rallies in Swabi, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, Swat, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Hangu and Bannu. Members of national and provincial assemblies led the rallies.

QUETTA: The MMA activists and supporters took out a protest procession in the provincial capital in response to a call for observing the black day given by the MMA and and ARD.

They gathered in front of the Jamia Masjid and went to the Manan Chowk in the form of a procession where the MMA leaders delivered speeches.

Provincial Minister for Balochistan Development Authority Maulana Abdul Rahim Bazai, Minister for Haj and Auqaf Maulana Dur Muhammad Pirkani, MNA Maulana Noor Muhammad, Maulana Abdul Haq baloch, Maulana Qadir Luni, former Senator Abdur Rahim Mirdadkhel and Aziz Ghilji advocate addressed the participants of the rally.

Maulana Bazai and Maulana Pirkani stated that participation of ministers in the procession was an important matter and announced that they would resign from Ministers' posts if the central leadership asked for it.

Justifying the holding of rally against what they called the military dictator, both ministers stated that General Musharraf had betrayed the trust of the people by not honouring his promise.