Police on Friday foiled a rally marching towards the US Consulate to stage a sit-in against the detention of Aafia Siddiqi. Hundreds of police personnel equipped with plastic shields, shin and chest guards and clubs, were deployed on all roads near Karachi Press Club, where a rally organised by Pasban begin its march towards the US Consulate.
The police also arrested many activists including Pasban leader Altaf Shakoor and Fauzia Siddiqi, sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqi. The police used tear gas, water-canon and resorted to aerial firing to disburse the charged rally. The protestors were chanting slogans against the US, Pervez Musharraf and present government, saying all of them were equally responsible for hundreds of missing persons in the country.
The police had also placed barbwires at the corner of Sarwar Shaheed Road to deny the possible march of the protestors towards the Governor's House, where police had taken positions to block movement of the rally. The security shields erected by the police around the Governor' House resulted in worst traffic jams.
Earlier, the protestors staging a demonstration outside Karachi Press Club, slammed the government for giving MNF status to India and demanded of the rulers to quit the government for the anti-Pakistan decision. They vowed to hang Musharraf and President Zardari for their role in missing persons in the country. They demanded of the government to release Baloch activists, Mujahideen and other missing persons immediately. The angry demonstrators criticised the government for letting the US spy Raymond Davis go and failing to get Dr Aafia released from the US prison.
Speaking to the protestors, Dr Fauzia Siddiqi said now the time had come to save the country. She said the nation wanted only justice and was not against the US or its citizens. Slamming the US for waging a global war in reaction to the 9/11 incident, she asked whether other nations had no right to fight for their basic rights. "Don't we have the right to protest for our plights," she said. Abdullah Gul- who is the son of former DG ISI, Hameed Gul, Pasban chief, Altaf Shakoor, former test cricketer, Qasim Omer, Sunni Tehreek's leader, Aftab Qadri and National Labour Federation leader Rafiq Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
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