Anti-war body to meet on 20th

Published February 17, 2003

LAHORE, Feb 16: The Anti-War Committee, a representative organization of 26 left-wing political parties and organizations, will meet on Feb 20 to decide the future line of action with regard to the impending US attack on Iraq.

In line with anti-war demonstrations across the globe, the committee held rallies in Lahore, Multan, Karachi and many other cities on Feb 15 to protest against the “war for oil”.

Labour Party secretary-general Farooq Tariq, who is a member of committee’s coordination body, said the leftists had done a great job in checking the war by bringing millions of people on the road against US imperialism.

He said that worldwide demonstrations on the day rejected the philosophy of a clash of civilizations and hoped that these would provide a base for a new alliance among labour classes.

The rallies had proved that the US and the UK were attacking Iraq to seize its oil reserves and reintroduce imperialism in the region.

He said right-wing forces, conservative ideologies and religious fanatics had put the world peace at risk through their militant policies and terrorist activities during the last two decades.

He held Bush, Blair, dictators and religious fanatics equally responsible for steering the world to the brink of war and said that progressive forces and radical social organizations had provided a beacon of hope to people by organizing historic rallies across the globe.