ISLAMABAD: The outlawed Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) and former jihadists organised a rally and conference on Friday under the banner of Tehreek Difa-i-Harmain Sharifain in which they expressed support to Saudi Arabia.

Speakers said the parliament had created a rift in Pakistan’s relations with a friendly country.

“If the government is not willing to take the right path, millions of Pakistanis will volunteer for the defence of the holy sites in Saudi Arabia.”

The rally was taken out from Lal Masjid after Friday prayers which culminated at Aabpara Chowk where the conference was held.

Contrary to previous rallies held by the Tehreek in connection with Yemen crisis, the main banner at Friday’s rally carried the portrait of Saudi King Salman instead of Masjid-i-Nabawi. The banner carried by the central leaders of the Tehreek was in Arabic and praised the Saudi monarch for commanding the defence of the holy sites.

The rally was led by Allama Ahmed Ludhianvi, chief of the proscribed ASWJ, formerly Sipah Sahaba Pakistan, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, chief of Ansarul Ummah.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Khalil decried the resolution passed by the parliament and said there was a serious threat to the defence and economy of Saudi Arabia if the Houthis overran Yemen.

Though majority of the speakers said there was a conspiracy to turn the Yemen crisis into a sectarian issue, some blamed Iran for stirring trouble in the region.

In another development, Pakistan Ulema Council held a conference where it was announced that more than 10,000 volunteers were ready to protect Harmain-i-Sharifain.

The council chairman, Hafiz Mohammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, said all conspiracies to create sectarian differences in Muslim countries would be foiled.

He, however, added that the rebel Houthi tribes were under the influence of some foreign forces. He also lauded Saudi Arabia for taking the stance to liberate Yemen from the rebels.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2015

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