KARACHI, July 6: The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and several other religious parties took out separate rallies in the city on Friday to condemn the government’s policies and press it to accept their demands.

On a call given by the Difa-i-Pakistan Council — a conglomerate of dozens of small parties and groups — the JI took out a rally from Jamia Binnoria, New Town, after Juma prayers. The participants marched up to the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum, where JI city chief Mohammad Hussain Mahenti, Naseem Ahmad, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman and others addressed them.

They condemned the government’s decision to reopen Pakistan route for supplies to the US-led Nato troops stationed in Afghanistan. They said that by taking the decision, the government had further complicated the issue. The decision was not only against the interests of Pakistan but also against the aspirations of 180 million people of the country, they added.

Terming the government ‘a US slave’, Mr Mahenti accused it of having compromised on Pakistan’s dignity and prestige. He appealed to the masses to get rid of the government, which he said had failed to stop the US from continuing drone attacks on Pakistan soil.

The rally participants carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans like “Nato supply restoration —  licence to kill Muslims” and “Stop drone attacks”.

JI supporters took out similar rallies from other mosques in different areas of the city after Juma prayers.

Activists of Jamaat-ud-Dawa staged a protest rally outside the Karachi Press Club to condemn the government for resuming supplies to the Nato forces. Leaders of various religious parties and groups spoke at the rally.

JUI-F slams Myanmar ‘massacre’

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F on Friday held a press conference at the Karachi Press Club to condemn what it called ‘genocide of Muslims’ in Myanmar.

Leaders of different religious parties including Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Mohammad Hussain Mahenti and Maulana Afzal Sardar called upon the international community to take notice of the recent massacre of Muslims in that country.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat Ahle-Sunnat on Friday held a protest rally at Guru Mandir to protest “targeted killing of its workers” in Karachi.