Protests in Pak. peaceful

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 10. Day four after the air strikes by the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan appears to have passed off without any major incident in Pakistan. Reports here suggest that there were a number of demonstrations and rallies throughout the country, but they were peaceful.

However, the shrill rhetoric, particularly from the religious leaders of various hues against the U.S. action and the `collaboration' of the Musharraf regime, is a clear indication that the worst is not over for the Pakistan Government.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, has been quoted as saying ``the nation has rejected all the policies of Gen. Musharraf. He is not representing the nation, but supporting the oppressors and his days are numbered''. At a news conference, he expressed concern over the large-scale reshuffle in the Army and said that the time was not suitable for these changes when the country was going through a crucial phase. The entire nation had reservations about the changes in the Army. Even if the reshuffle was imminent, it could have been delayed. Qazi Ahmad rejected all the policies of Gen. Musharraf and said that the Pakistan President was unaware of the sentiments of the people.

According to the JI chief, the entire nation was with Afghanistan and the religious parties and Gen. Musharraf's assessment was based on wrong inputs. He wondered if Gen. Musharraf was getting misleading inputs or was ignoring the situation.

He warned that if the attacks against Afghanistan were not halted, the protest movement would be intensified and millions of people would join the movement. The attacks on Afghanistan were an attack against Muslims.

A report in the Urdu daily, Ausaf, has claimed that the Harkat-ul Mujahideen chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, has been released after he was held in custody for seven days. The paper said that some intelligence agencies had taken Maulana Kahlil into custody without getting any information about his links with the Saudi fugitive, Osama bin Laden. He told these agencies that he had no links with Osama, but only with the resistance movement of Kashmir.

In another report, the paper said the Jamiat Ulema-e- Islam (JUI) has prepared a list of thousands of people to be sent to Afghanistan for waging jehad against the U.S. The JUI has launched a full-fledged campaign in this regard despite the house arrest of its chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

A special report in the popular Urdu daily, Jang, said the security in Islamabad has been tightened and the Pakistan Army contingents had dug trenches in sensitive areas.

Islamabad has so far been peaceful, but waves of unrest can be seen in Rawalpindi. Diplomatic circles are of the view that some of the countries are working on a new way to halt the ongoing attacks on Afghanistan. The paper said reports from Peshawar suggest the American attacks on Afghanistan could not achieve immediate gains for the U.S. and the war would be a prolonged affair and would make it difficult for the regional countries, particularly Pakistan.

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