Speaking at the demonstration staged by the “Voice of the Silent Majority” at the Press Club, they said a jihad should be launched against illiteracy, poverty, fanaticism, sectarianism, intolerance, oppression etc so that the nation could progress.
They said Pakistanis had been held hostage by a vocal minority, comprising radical elements, espousing disparate agendas and waging bloody wars in the streets, who had not only brutalized the people but had also brought a bad name to the religion.
They said a vast majority of the Pakistanis believed in tolerance, peace, harmony, coexistence, non-violence, and that they had come out to express their views so that the world also knew that the Pakistanis were a peace-loving nation that believed in peaceful coexistence.
The demonstrators were carrying placards and raising slogans in support of their views. Some of the slogans were: “Pakistan comes first”; “No to sectarianism”; “Yes to faith, unity and discipline”; “No to extremism, lawlessness and terrorism”.
Fatima Surriya Bajiya, Mumtaz Rashdi, Irshad Abdul Kader, Rehana Saigol, Riaz Mahmood, Ghazi Salahuddin and others spoke.