January 21, 2006	Saturday	Zilhaj 20, 1426

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LAHORE, Jan 20: On the appeal of MMA, demonstrations were held in Lahore on Friday to protest against the proposed marathon on Jan 29. Holding placards and chanting slogans the demonstrators warned that the self-respecting people of Lahore would stop it through force.

The main demonstration was held on Multan Road which was addressed by MMA deputy secretary general Liaquat Baloch, Jamaat naib amir Hafiz Idris and others.

Mr Baloch said secular rulers and a few elites were implementing western conspiracies against Pakistani Muslims to please Washington. The same elements were out to change the syllabus, remove ‘Namaz’ procedure from it and clampdown on seminaries in order to undermine the ideological foundations of the country, he alleged.

He said following the violence during a mixed marathon in Gujranwala last year, the Chaudhry brothers had announced not to hold any such event in future. But, perhaps they had again succumbed to foreign pressure, he added.

Mr Baloch said the rulers were showing callousness towards three million earthquake victims by diverting public attention from the real issues of the country and involving people into meaningless fun seeking.

Hafiz Idris said the entire nation should come out with firm commitment to stop the rulers from implementing conspiracies against Islam and Pakistan.

The Lahore MMA held another demonstration near Gulberg’s Liberty Market and its leaders, including Maulana Saifuddin, Maulana Abdur Rehman Noorani and others said the people of Lahore would not tolerate the marathon.

Meanwhile, in a statement Khaksar Tehrik chief Hameeduddin Al Mashriqi has asked the government to cancel the marathon in response to the people’s reaction against it.

Jamaatud Dawa amir Hafiz Saeed, too, in a statement opposed the marathon and said it was aimed at changing the Muslim mores.

Meanwhile, MMA president and Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad has urged the nation to counter the efforts of the rulers to impose western culture on the country through promoting marathon and Basant like events under official patronage.

Delivering Juma sermon at Jamia Mansoora, he said mixed marathon like events were being held to snatch the honour and respect from Pakistani women under a western conspiracy. The conspiracy was also aimed at diverting attention of the people from the real issues of the country and involving them in revelries. The self respecting Lahorites would frustrate the conspiracy, he said.

He said the JI shoora had declared 2006 as the year of conveying Islamic tenets to people through its workers. People should know that the rulers had removed the procedure of Namaz from syllabus to secularize the education system and isolate the youth from the concepts of Jihad and Namaz.