KARACHI, Feb 23: The speakers at various demonstrations held on Friday condemned the ban imposed on Al Rasheed Trust and Al Akhtar Trust and suspension of the printing of a newspaper, Islam, demanded that the restrictions be lifted they be allowed to operate freely.

They were speaking at various demonstrations organised by the Jamaat Islami after Friday prayers in different parts of the city to condemn the ban imposed on charities.

Condemning the ban, Dr Mairaj-ul-Huda Siddiqui, Yunus Barai, Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Muslim, Mahmood Hamid and others said that while the government did not take notice of various foreign funded NGOs that were spreading vulgarity, foreign culture etc genuine NGOs that were involved in pure social welfare activities had been banned.

They said that volunteers of these trusts after the devastating earthquake in the northern areas and Azad Kashmir were the first ones to reach even the remotest parts where even the army could not reach, to provide humanitarian assistance to the victims and the government had also acknowledged their services, but now on directives from the West a ban had been imposed.

They said that it was the duty of the government to provide food, shelter and clothes to its citizens but the government had failed miserably in performing its basic function and the social welfare organisations which were providing these basic necessities to the poor had been banned.

They said the government, earlier also, had banned the operations on these trusts soon after 9/11, but when the superior judiciary was moved, the government could not provide any proof of wrong doing on part of these organisations owing to which the court directed the government to allow these organisations to work freely, and by banning these organizations now the government was committing contempt of court.

They said the government has not even followed its own rules and regulations as under the rules, the government is supposed to issue a show cause notice to the organization against which it intends to take action, so that organization’s point view could also be heard. In this case the government did not issue any show cause notice and took this arbitrary action.

The demonstrators were carrying banners and chanting slogans in support of their demands of lifting the ban on Al Rasheed Trust and Al Akhtar Trust. They also condemned the banning of publication of a newspaper, Islam, by the government and demanded its publication be allowed.