QUETTA, July 6: The students of a madressah of Pashtoonabad took out a procession on Friday under the leadership of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s MNA Maulana Noor Mohammad in protest against the siege of Lal Masjid in Islamabad.

The protesters chanted slogans against President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the United States. They asked the government to withdraw security forces from outside the mosque.

The procession passed through the Quetta Press Club, Manan Chowk, Shara-i-Adalat, Shara-i-Iqbal and culminated at the Meezan ChowkAddressing the protesters, Maulana Noor condemned the government for launching operation against the Lal Masjid and its seminaries. He said that the government should hold negotiations with Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi to resolve the issue.

He said that Islamic movements could not be suppressed by force, adding that the use of force in the tribal areas had brought no result.

The MNA claimed that the Lal Masjid’s ulemas had not committed any crime. They were just demanding the enforcement of Islamic laws, he added.