Camped until govt takes substantive measures to curb sectarian violence
Protest camp set up near press club; police fear camp site vulnerable to attack.
ISLAMABAD:
Dozens of men, women and children camped in front of the National Press Club on Sunday to condemn the recent sectarian killings in Quetta and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
The protesters marched from China Chowk on Jinnah Avenue to the press club, leading to a lengthy suspension of traffic along the route. Assembled under the aegis of Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), they decided to live in a camp until the government takes “substantive measures” to stop targets killings and “the genocide of Shia”.
“We know who the terrorists that are killing Shias with the aim of erasing them from the country are,” Allama Fakhar Alvi, the MWM district secretary general for Islamabad, said to the protesters.
He said the security agencies and law enforcers are deliberately staying mum over “the genocide of Shias in Balochistan and G-B, while the killers roam free and fearless”.
“Let me tell you (the protesters) that they cannot remove us from Pakistan. There are 50 million Shias here and it would not be easy eliminating us,” added Alvi. He called Interior Minister Rehman Malik a “liar who had only made false promises” but delivered nothing substantial to better the law and order situation anywhere in the country.
MWM leaders said the camp has been established to draw the attention of the government and security agencies to the targeted killings of Shias and the magnitude of the problem. He added that the camp will also serve as a source of awareness for the public about the seriousness of the issue and would help create support for their cause.
He appealed to civil society and political parties to attend the camp and participate in the campaign for a good cause. The protesters were however warned of the risk in establishing their camp at a location just a stone’s throw from an Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) religious seminary across the road.
City administration and police officials fear speeches and remarks made by the protesters on loudspeakers may provoke a reaction from ASWJ activists and present a security threat.
“The campsite is not safe and it is difficult for the police to protect it, particularly at night,” said a senior police official who had advised the MWM leaders to either relocate their camp to a safer place or abandon the idea altogether.
However, the protesters and their leaders defied the warnings and risks and went forward with their plan.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2012.
Dozens of men, women and children camped in front of the National Press Club on Sunday to condemn the recent sectarian killings in Quetta and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
The protesters marched from China Chowk on Jinnah Avenue to the press club, leading to a lengthy suspension of traffic along the route. Assembled under the aegis of Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), they decided to live in a camp until the government takes “substantive measures” to stop targets killings and “the genocide of Shia”.
“We know who the terrorists that are killing Shias with the aim of erasing them from the country are,” Allama Fakhar Alvi, the MWM district secretary general for Islamabad, said to the protesters.
He said the security agencies and law enforcers are deliberately staying mum over “the genocide of Shias in Balochistan and G-B, while the killers roam free and fearless”.
“Let me tell you (the protesters) that they cannot remove us from Pakistan. There are 50 million Shias here and it would not be easy eliminating us,” added Alvi. He called Interior Minister Rehman Malik a “liar who had only made false promises” but delivered nothing substantial to better the law and order situation anywhere in the country.
MWM leaders said the camp has been established to draw the attention of the government and security agencies to the targeted killings of Shias and the magnitude of the problem. He added that the camp will also serve as a source of awareness for the public about the seriousness of the issue and would help create support for their cause.
He appealed to civil society and political parties to attend the camp and participate in the campaign for a good cause. The protesters were however warned of the risk in establishing their camp at a location just a stone’s throw from an Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) religious seminary across the road.
City administration and police officials fear speeches and remarks made by the protesters on loudspeakers may provoke a reaction from ASWJ activists and present a security threat.
“The campsite is not safe and it is difficult for the police to protect it, particularly at night,” said a senior police official who had advised the MWM leaders to either relocate their camp to a safer place or abandon the idea altogether.
However, the protesters and their leaders defied the warnings and risks and went forward with their plan.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2012.