MULTAN, Aug 2: A demonstration organised by the Seraiki Lok Party, Sindhoo Bachao Tarla, Hali Sanjh and Taraimet Sanjh was held in Kot Addu in Muzaffargarh district, some 80km away from here, on Saturday to protest the ‘Talibanisation’ threat.

A self-proclaimed Taliban movement allegedly wrote a letter to video shops, cable network operators, net cafés and barbers, threatening them to close down their businesses to avoid destruction of their shops. Women of the locality were also told to start wearing veil otherwise acid would be thrown on their faces.

A large number of demonstrators, including women, gathered in front of the local press club and later marched on city roads while chanting slogans against the ‘Talbanisation’ before culminating their journey near Ghalla Mandi.

The protesters said Seraiki belt was the land of Sufis, like Khwaja Ghulam Farid, while Kot Addu was the city of folk icon Pathaney Khan, but “secret hands” were trying to disturb the peace and tranquillity of the area by importing terror from Fata to Seraiki wasaib.

They demanded exposing “secret hands” behind the letter, and said that the miscreants should be arrested immediately.

Fazal-i-Rab, Haneef Korai, Inam Korai, Ismail, Amna Bibi and Sadain Bibi spoke on the occasion.—Staff Correspondent