KARACHI, May 26: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Friday organised demonstrations after Juma prayers outside various mosques in the city against poverty, price hike, arrest of students, terrorism at educational institutions, etc.

Participants of the demonstrations, holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the governments and various demands, called for immediate steps against the hike in POL prices, power crisis in Karachi and lawlessness. They demanded curbs on music shows in educational institutions under the government’s patronage, and strongly condemned the ‘state terrorism’ against students.

Addressing one of the demonstrations, Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, Karachi, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui accused the government of trying to transform the country into a secular state, thus undermining the very ideology of Pakistan in the name of enlightened moderation.

He also condemned the government for ‘patronising’ violence against student activists at educational institutions and conducting a crackdown on the students of various universities for raising their voice against the ban on Dars-i-Quran at the Peshawar University. He deplored holding of a music show on the campus of the Peshawar University by the government.

Terming the government’s interference in the affairs of educational institutions ‘part of US agenda,’ the JI leader said that the government was bent upon forcing out the middle class students from educational institutions so that only the children of well-off families could be groomed.

Criticizing the economic policy, he said that despite the government’s claim of having controlled the price-hike and poverty, a constant increase in the prices of essential commodities and petroleum products was being noted and more than 50 per cent of the country’s population had already been pushed below the poverty line.

Dr Siddiqui demanded lifting of Rs28 per litre tax on petrol and fixing the rate at Rs29 per litre by waiving all other taxes.

The Islami Tehrik leader, Allama Hasan Turabi slammed the government for pursuing US agenda by arresting ulema and conducting raids on madressahs. He said that people had foiled the conspiracy hatched by US agents to create a rift among Muslims by carrying out the bomb blast at Nishtar Park on the occasion of the Eid Miladun Nabi.

MPA Nasrullah Shaji told the protesters that on the one hand, people were being overburdened through price hike, unemployment and poverty and on the other, the western culture was being imposed on the society.

MPA Younus Barai said that the ruling parties were indulging themselves in a power struggle instead of making efforts to resolve people’s problems.

Those who addressed different demonstrations included Abdul Sattar Afghani, Laeeq Khan, Shafaat Ahmed Siddiqui, Shamim Pasha, Kamal Ahmed Farooqui and Mohammad Muslim.—PPI