March 07, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 17, 1428

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MUZAFFARABAD, March 6: A group of lawyers staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to condemn the ban clamped by the Government of Pakistan on an Islamic charity and called for its immediate withdrawal.

"We strongly condemn the unjustified ban on Al Rasheed Trust — the great national welfare organisation," read a big banner carried by the demonstrators.

"Let Al Rasheed Trust continue its welfare activities," demanded a placard.

Prior to a brief demonstration staged outside the press club, the lawyers also spoke to media persons and highlighted the work of the charity in Azad Kashmir in the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake.

"The ban has been imposed to please the United States in sheer disregard to the remarkable welfare services on the part of Al Rasheed Trust purely on humanitarian grounds," said lawyer Shaukat Ganai.

He regretted that instead of strengthening the charity's noble work, the government had taken this unwise and unpleasant step which had adversely affected tens of thousands of destitute.

Mr Ganai regretted that the federal government had also overlooked the humanitarian activities of Al Rasheed Trust in the quake-hit zone although President Pervez Musharraf and other government functionaries were on record to having acknowledged its valuable contribution.

"On the one hand, the government is giving red carpet treatment to foreign organisations with a view to encouraging them to serve the victims of calamities in Pakistan and on the other hand it is suppressing the national entities rendering much better services despite limited resources," he said, and added that this was the height of double standards which needed to be done away with.

Mr Ganai and his colleagues said if the government had any proof of the charity's involvement in any kind of terrorist act it should bring that forth instead of imitating the US.

Referring to the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 whereby the ban was imposed on Al Rasheed Trust and Al Akhtar Trust, the lawyers pointed out that India was blatantly disregarding the UN resolutions on Kashmir but the US had never raised eyebrows at it.

"We should not be afraid of the US and give top priority to our own interests."

They asked the federal government to immediately lift the ban on Al Rasheed Trust to help it continue its services for the downtrodden.