RAWALPINDI, March 8: Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) is all set to hold its million march on Sunday against the looming US-led attack on Iraq.
Organizers said over one million people, including members and supporters of MMA component parties, would participate in the march.
Central leaders of the religious parties’ alliance, including its president Maulana Shah Ahmed Noorani, deputy-chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Samiul Haq, Allama Sajid Ali Naqvi, Prof Sajid Mir, Liaqat Baloch, and Hafiz Hussain Ahmad will lead the protest rally, which will start from Liaqat Bagh and march to Chandni Chowk.
The politicians and religious leaders will speak to the rally participants at the end.
Besides the MMA leaders, ARD chief and veteran politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan will participate in the march.
Similarly, Ulema, scholars, lawyers and people from other fields will also join the anti-war protest.
People will gather at Liaqat Bagh at around 1pm, an MMA spokesman told Dawn. They will offer the midday prayers at the ground and set out for the march, he added.
Apart from the twin cities, a large number of people will also come from outstations like Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and other parts of the NWFP.
The MMA leaders said the march would be the largest in the country and bring a change in the government policies on Iraq issue.Preparations for the march started about two weeks ago. Different committees had been formed and entrusted with various tasks.
Banners inscribed with anti-war slogans have been displayed at different places and intersections on the Murree Road, posters pasted on the walls and announcements are being made on loudspeakers asking people to join the largest demonstration against the aggressive designs of America.
A meeting of the march committee was also held on Saturday to finalize the arrangements. The heads of different teams presented their reports, which were found satisfactory by the march Nazim, Mohammad Abbas Butt.
Meanwhile, the civic agencies gave final touches to their arrangements for the million march.
Water and Sanitation Agency (wasa) will arrange four tankers for providing drinking water to the participants. Two tankers will remain with the march, while two reserve tankers will be available at the Liaquat Bagh.
The health department will provide three ambulances along with staff and medicines. Two vehicles will perform active duty, while the third will remain at the Rescue-15 office for any emergency.
According to the traffic plan, vehicles coming from Peshawar Road will be parked at Marir Chowk, Kashmir Road and Naugaza Road. Similarly, vehicles coming from Murree Road will drop the participants at Liaquat Bagh and proceed further towards Marir Chowk for parking.
Murree Road will remain closed from Rawal Road intersection to Liaquat Bagh during the march and routine traffic will be diverted through the Rawal Road.
