Solidarity day: Aman Ittehad calls for nationwide rally on Jan 1

LAHORE: Aman Ittehad called for a nationwide rally on the ‘Solidarity Day’, January 1 at 1 pm to express solidarity with victims of violence.

During a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, Khawar Mumtaz of the South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK), said that rallies would be organised in 108 cities across the country.

The speakers declared the rally as one against mass killings, suicide attacks and its causes, target killing and kidnappings.  Asma Rehman of the Labour Resource Centre said, “We will become the voice of the labourers and the oppressed.”

Mumtaz said, “We are raising a voice especially for the injustices in Balochistan.” The umbrella organisation asked citizens to exercise their right to free speech. Out of a total of 108, 35 rallies will be held in the Punjab, 12 in Balochistan, 30 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 16 in Sindh, 3 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 in FATA, 2 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and one in Islamabad. The rally in Lahore will start from the Lahore High Court.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2010.