ISLAMABAD, Feb 15: A number of citizens of the twin cities held a peace march near Chandni Chowk on Saturday to show their abhorrence and resistance to the imminent American attack on Iraq.

The march was organized by Citizens Peace Committee in collaboration with People’s Rights Movement (PRM), Pattan Development Organization and other NGOs and civic bodies.

The participants of the march were holding paper doves, placards and banners inscribed with anti-war slogans, like “Don’t spill blood for oil”, “We all are united against war”, and “Let peace prevail”. They were also chanting slogans like “Long live peace movements” and “Down with terrorism”.

The peace march later converted into a gathering at Saidpur Road. A resolution was passed on the occasion, calling for boycott of American products, and urging the Bush administration to follow decisions of the UN Security Council.

Talking to the gathering, PRM president Asim Akhtar said for the fist time in the world history people had joined hands against war even before its eruption. He attributed low attendance of people in anti-war demonstrations in Pakistan to lack of organized movement on part of political parties.

Dr Nayyar, a professor at Quaid-i-Azam University, said Muslim countries were supporting the war on Iraq to exact some petty gains. “Saudi Arabia and Turkey should not submit to the US allegations against Iraq, and deny bases to it, but, instead, they are facilitating America.”

He observed that America succeeded in deviating world attention from Israeli atrocities on innocent Palestinians thought its military build-up in the Gulf. He said now the Palestinian conflict had virtually slipped off world media.

Dr Farzana Bari, a women rights activist, was of the view that the war on Iraq was driven by American lust for oil. She said the Muslim rulers should cast away their criminal silence on the possible American attack and send across the message that Muslims were not conservative or terrorists, but peace-loving people.

Dr Jamil Omar, a committed peace activist, said the peace march aimed at educating people about peace and showing solidarity with peace movements across the world. He said America thought that it would grind its axe through coercion and money, but, in fact, it got stuck in a crisis that would expose its much- trumpeted claims of democracy and justice.

He maintained that the situation was also a test case for Europe, the claimant of modern civilization. However, above all, it was a challenge for the Muslim world. “If we (the Muslims) successfully emerged from it, then future will belong to us,” he added.

Dr Omar said the solution like direct confrontation and passive submission were both unsatisfactory. “The best strategy is to heed to the call of reason,” he said.—Junaid Bahadur