KARACHI, Oct 20: City lawyers condemned on Saturday the US-led attack on Afghanistan, and demanded of the government to immediately withdraw all facilities to the American forces, including the use of air and camp bases.

Speakers at a well-attended meeting of the Karachi Bar Association criticized the government for extending cooperation to the United States against Afghanistan.

They said the civilian population was being targeted in Afghanistan. “We condemn the killing of innocent people in the name of war against terrorism.”

Salahuddin Gandapur, a former secretary-general of the KBA, said the United States had never been a friend of Pakistan. “American has always worked against the interest of our country,” he said.

He stressed the need for creating a consensus for the departure of the United States from the region.

Hamayun Akhter, member of Sindh Bar Council, said “the US has virtually occupied Pakistan without fully using its armed forces. Here we have a situation that the people at large are anti-US, while the government is pro- US.”

He suggested that the KBA formed a legal aid committee to help those being arrested for protesting against the US attacks on Afghanistan.

Zahid Khan, advocate, said the US had launched a war against innocent people instead of terrorism. He said “America has always let down Pakistan and so will it do in the future.”

Abdul Malik, a former president of the KBA, criticized the government for extending facilities to US forces on the country’s soil against Afghanistan.

Naheed Afzal said no evidence against Osama bin Laden had so far been produced. He demanded that whatever evidence the US had given to the government of Pakistan be made public. He said while civilians were being killed in the US attacks, it was quite a shame that the state-run PTV was saying that terrorists bases were being bombed by the US forces.

He said Pakistan’s armed forces were supporting the US attacks against Muslims. “Pakistani armed force do not deserve to be called an Islamic force,” he added.

He demanded of the government to withdraw the facilities provided to the US forces, against Afghanistan.

Umer Hiyat Sindhu, a senior member of the bar, said the United States should have taken its case against Osama and the Taliban to the International Court of Justice or any other international tribunal before launching the attacks.

Later, the protesting lawyers burnt a US flag and an effigy of George W. Bush. They also shouted anti-America slogans.

Others who spoke included Mehmoodul Hasan, general secretary of the KBA, Ghulam Qadir Sasoli and Raja Arif Tahir.

The KBA meeting was presided over by Khalid Nawaz Marwat, member of the KBA’s managing committee.