Rallies held in Multan

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) held protest rallies countrywide on Friday against the release of US national Raymond Davis who was arrested for killing two Pakistanis. A huge rally was organised in Multan after Friday congregations which was joined by Jamaat Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl-ur-Rehman) Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Sami-ul-Haq) Shia Ulema Council, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Tehrik Mihaj-ul-Quran, Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamiat Ahle-Hadith and traders. The participants were shouting slogans against the United States and Punjab and federal governments.
Addressing the rally, Mufti Hidayatullah Pasroori of (JUP) Professor Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry (JI) Noor Khan Hans Advocate (JUI-F) Syed Amir-ul-Hassan Naqvi and others said it is a matter of national integrity that the nation must close their business, markets, bazaars and trade centres the release of Raymond Davis. They held Punjab government equally responsible for the release of Davis because they had been 'providing all facilities to the accused in jail'.
They noted that heirs of the young men whom Davis killed must have been forced to forgive the US national otherwise they would have contacted media. They further said that after releasing Raymond Davis, "it is our demand that Mumtaz Qadri should also be released who was behind bars due to the murder of former Governor Punjab, Salman Taseer, adding that United States should release Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
The protesters declared federal and Punjab governments and the military establishment equally responsible for the release of the killer in a manner that it undermined national honour and sovereignty. They were carrying flags of their parties and banners inscribed with slogans against the rulers. Heavy police contingents were deployed across the city of Multan while armed patrols intensified to keep the situation under control. The protests came as an indication that the rulers and the judge misused the 'Diyat' option, since the double murder by the US national was outrageous to public conscience and this fact alone had rendered the accused ineligible for the blood-money.