July 31, 2006	Monday	Rajab 4, 1427

KARACHI, July 30: Driven by strong feelings against Israel and US, hundreds of people took part in rallies against the Zionist and imperialist forces on Sunday evening despite adverse conditions created by the heavy downpour that lashed the city in the afternoon.

Shrugging off risk of electrocution, plunge in some open manhole or nullah, damage to vehicle or possible blocked way back home, they traveled in vehicles or on foot to reach Noorani Chowrangi where Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had organised a rally. Hundreds more attended a separate rally that was organised by the Imamia Students Organisation.

Carrying flags, banners, placards and posters, the protesters in the MMA rally marched from Noorani Chowrangi up to Tibet Centre raising slogans against the United States and Israel. At the Tibet Centre intersection, MMA leaders Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other MMA leaders addressed the participants of the rally before it resumed its march up to Tower.

The ‘Down With US and Israel Rally’, as it was named, condemned the continued barbaric bombing on civilian targets in southern Lebanon and Palestinian territory by Israeli artillery and jet fighters over the last 19 days.

Hundreds of innocent people, including women and children, had already been killed and hundreds more were under threat from the onslaught, they deplored, calling for an immediate halt to the ‘terrorist attack’.

The rally expressed full solidarity with Lebanese and Palestinian people, as well as Hizbullah and Hamas resistance movements, in this hour of trial and tribulation.

“No matter if our rulers are not, but 150 million Pakistanis are with you,” the leaders aired the message for the victims of Israeli aggression.

The MMA leaders strongly criticised rulers of Pakistan and other Muslim countries for watching the ‘genocide’ of Muslim brethren as silent spectators only to encourage the anti-Islam forces to go ahead with their agenda of suppressing Muslims around the world.

They also criticised the OIC and Arab League for failing to discharge their duties while the entire Ummah, particularly those resisting the nefarious designs of the Zionist regime, was looking at them for moral and material support.

In a reference to the heads of Muslim countries, they remarked: “Our governments have become protectors of foreign interests.”

Qazi Hussain Ahmed pointed out that the Muslim countries could not forge unity in the name of Ummah because the rulers of these countries would not allow each other’s citizens the facility of free movement. This was eliminating the very concept of Ummah, he said.

Underlining the importance of such a facility at times, he pointed out that that despite having strong desire, Muslims were not able to rush to Lebanon or Palestinian territory to join in the relief and rescue operation or fight against the aggressors in the jihad.

Qazi Hussain told the participants that such rulers were resisting any move against Israel under US pressure, and were even keen to recognise Israel.

He flayed Pakistani rulers for feeling pride in becoming ‘frontline state’ in US repression against Muslims around the world, and had already started transforming the Islamic society into a secular one by changing curricula. “Our mosques and madressahs are being attacked… our people are being picked up by agencies and extradited to the United States… and no explanation of such actions is given.”

Announcing that the MMA would observe the upcoming Independence Day as ‘Yaum-i-Nijat’, he said masses did not need a government which would always give preference to the US and Israel over Muslims. On Aug 27, he said, MMA would hold another rally in Karachi.

He warned that the anti-Islam forces had hatched a conspiracy to divide Ummah on sectarian lines, he praised Hizbullah for posing a stiff resistance to foil the conspiracy by responding positively to Palestinians’ call for help.

Paying rich tributes to Hizbullah and Hamas, the MMA chief argued that in 1967, Israel had defeated the entire Muslim world in a six-day war, but today its aggression had not succeeded in achieving its goal even after 19 days of onslaught due to the courage shown by the two resistance movements.

Qazi Hussain declared that the MMA, after coming to power, would raise a ‘people’s army’ which would work with people hand-in-hand to put the country on the road to progress and prosperity.

MMA Secretary General Maulana Fazlur Rehman said this massive rally was a message to the US and Zionist forces that they would find Muslims around the world united in the face of any threat to the Ummah. He said the Ummah would continue to resist Zionist and Imperialist forces until last drop of their blood and until the illegitimate state of Israel was wiped out from the globe.

He the Zionist forces had set Syria and Iran as its next target and might turn their guns towards Pakistan afterwards. This situation called for steadfastness and unity among Muslim countries, he cautioned.

“We don’t like war, but in the event of aggression, threat to the life of our women and children, and threat to our cities and country, we as Muslims knew very well how to defend ourselves, our faith, our freedom, our rights and our motherland,” he declared.

Sahibzada Abul-Khair Mohammad Zubair of JUP; Allama Manzoor Hussain of Shia Ulema Council; Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui and Yunus Barai of JI; Sohail Anjum of Mohajir Qaumi Movement; Afzal Sardar of Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadees; Allama Nazir Abbas Naqvi of Tehrik-i-Islami and Qari Saeedur Rehman of JUI were among others who addressed the rally.

The rally also adopted several resolutions one of which called for a boycott of the items produced by Zionists-funded multi-national firms. Another resolution warned the Pakistan government against amending or repealing the Hudood Ordinance.