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| India-Pakistan |
| 20 rights activists held after ASWJ rally near CM House |
| 2015-02-07 |
| [DAWN] KARACHI: Police detained more than 20 rights activists for a couple of hours on Thursday after they 'insisted' on marching towards CM House while participants in the outlawed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous bannedextremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wingof Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... (ASWJ) rally near the same venue dispersed after being assured by the law enforcers of security for their leader. The civil rights activists, led by Jibran Nasir, had earlier this week staged a two-day sit-in at the PIDC traffic intersection to condemn the Shikarpur attack and demanded action against proscribed organizations, including the ASWJ, and their leaders. The sit-in, which attracted a small number of participants, ended on the government assurance that flags and graffiti of the banned outfits would be removed from the city in the first phase. The rights activists re-emerged at the PIDC traffic intersection on Thursday evening an hour after the ASWJ diverted its big 'Kashmire Day' rally towards CM House to demand security for its Sindh chief, Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi, that the group said had been withdrawn by the government. The situation remained tense for a while when the police, anticipating some kind of clash between the two groups, blocked major road links to CM House and Governor House. The rights activists argued that the government had banned the ASWJ in February 2012 and yet it was allowed to stage a rally. Mr Nasir said he had received 'threats' from the banned outfit, a claim categorically denied by the ASWJ front man. "The ASWJ has publicly threatened the civil society members through its Twitter account," said Mr Nasir while speaking to Dawn. However, nothing needs reforming like other people's bad habits... the ASWJ front man said that "we threatened neither Mr Nasir nor any other civil society member". "The ASWJ workers offered Asr and Maghrib prayers at the PIDC intersection," said ASWJ front man Umer Ma'awia. "We actually staged a demonstration at the PIDC intersection to demand the revival of security arrangements for our leader, Aurangzeb Farooqi, which have been withdrawn by the Sindh government recently. We are very concerned about his security and would consider the government responsible for any threat he faces." |
| Posted by:Fred |