ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Friday protested in front of Parliament House against the killing of innocent people in the January 13 US air strike in Bajaur Agency and sought an apology from the US. Most protesters, who belonged to Bajaur Agency, held banners and placards inscribed with anti-Musharraf and anti-US slogans. Addressing the protesters, MMA leaders condemned the Bush administration and demanded the government expel the US ambassador to Pakistan from the country and declare him persona non grata.Liaqat Baloch, MMA deputy secretary general, demanded an immediate stop to the military operations in the tribal areas and Balochistan, which he said was creating a rift between the provinces and federation. He said the MMA would take the issue up during National Assembly proceedings on Monday. “People are dying in Balochistan while the rulers are conducting mixed marathons,” he added.
He said that after having been defeated in Afghanistan, the US was now targeting the tribal areas. He called the US attack in Bajaur an attack on PakistanÂ’s sovereignty. He said the Pakistan Army should protect the countryÂ’s boundaries, which was their constitutional duty. The US was an international terrorist and wanted to impose a so-called world order in the world by using force in Iraq and Afghanistan and by supporting Israel against Palestine, he added.