MUZAFFARABAD, May 9: Hundreds of people staged a rally here on Tuesday to condemn the United States ban on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is engaged in relief and rehabilitation activities in the areas affected by the October 8 earthquake.

“Down with America, down with Bush,” the demonstrators shouted as they assembled near the old civil secretariat.

The organisation and its affiliate Idara Khidmat-i-Khalq were put by the US last month on its terrorist list, saying they were fronts for the Lashkar-i-Taiba.

The demonstrators were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans, mainly highlighting the relief activities of the organisation and questioning the justification of the US decision.

AJK Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith Amir Maulana Shahabuddin Madni, speaking to the protesters, said: “The US has no right to intervene in our internal affairs. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa has helped us a lot and needs encouragement. We salute it and other religious organisations for their heroic role.”

AJK Jamaat-i-Islami leader Sheikh Aqeelur Rehman said the US was a terrorist state as it had bombed and killed innocent people across the world.

He criticised the country’s rulers for their “silence over US terrorism”. “They are not our representatives but agents of the US,” he alleged, asking the religious parties to unite to frustrate the designs of anti-Islam forces.