LAHORE – Shias took to the streets on Monday to protest against the Karachi carnage.
The Majlis Wahdat Muslemin (MWM) and the Shia Ulema Council (SUC) staged protests in the City separately. The MWM took out a rally from Karbala Gamay Shah to Nasir Bagh while the SUC staged a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club. The MWM rally was led by Abdul Khaliq Asadi, Haider Musvi and Haider Ali. The protesters, carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti government slogans, demanded justice.
On the occasion, the leaders said that the Karachi blasts were a brutal incident in which not only Shias but several Sunnis were also killed. They said that it seemed some one was trying to create Shia Sunni riots. They demanded that country wide crackdown against terrorists should be held to nab the culprits. They also demanded that the Shia community should be issued arms licences to defend themselves since the government had failed to protect them against terrorists. The protesters criticised Punjab government for its alleged links with banned outfits.
The SUC staged protest in front of Lahore Press Club. The protest was led by SUC Punjab president Mazhar Abbas Alvi and Lahore president Asif Ali Zaidi. The protestors expressed their strong resentment over the series of blasts on Shia community. They said that it seemed that government had failed to protect the lives of the people and had no interest to end the brutal killings of the Shias.
Addressing the protesters, Mazhar Abbas Alvi and Asif Zaidi said government was seen nowhere in the country to protect the people. They alleged that the secret agencies were involved in the killings and demanded the government start a targeted operation against terrorists.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the twin bombing in Karachi and slammed the unending targeting of citizen because of their belief. In a statement HRCP demanded of the government to nab the killers to end the butchery.