Jamaat train march flops in first leg

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ATTOCK, Oct 7: The Jamaat-i-Islami’s (JI’s) train march en route for Karachi travelled from Peshawar to Rawalpindi on Tuesday but the pumped up rally proved a “flop-show” in Attock, Hassanabdal and Taxila.During a brief stopover at Attock railway station, JI Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who is leading the march, said his party had launched the protest against price hike, rampant lawlessness, massive unemployment, military operation in the north-western areas, American aggression and other pressing issues.

Liaquat Baloch, Sirajul Haq and Mian Aslam were among the JI leaders who were accompanying their JI chief. On the occasion, the JI activists raised slogans against the PPP-led government and the United States.

The JI leader said the main objective of the train march was to highlight the problems confronting the country and the masses.

He said the people voted for the present rulers in the February 18 general elections to get rid of Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistan Muslim League, with hopes that their problems would be resolved.

He, however, regretted that the ruling clique had not provided any relief to the masses.

“The present rulers have totally failed on domestic and international fronts, and the people are suffering from price hike and massive unemployment,” he said.

According to Mr Ahmed, the real issue was the reinstatement of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Earlier, the JI leaders and activists took out a rally from Katchery Chowk to Attock Railway Station to muster public support, but they failed to gain any substantial participation of local people.

Mostly JI workers and leaders were at the railway station to welcome the people participating in their party’s train march.

OUR CORRESPONDENT FROM TAXILA ADDS: At Taxila railway station, JI Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed attracted a low turnout.

Observers attributed the negligible public presence to lack of homework by the party’s local leadership who did not arrange any public contact drive before launching the rally.

Only 70 to 80 JI activists were present at the railway station to welcome their party chief.

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