Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) activists in Bahawalpur took out a protest rally here on Tuesday against the killing of an ASWJ worker in Bhakkar, an attack on a madarassa in Rawalpindi and a target killing in Karachi.
The protesters rallied from Al Sadiq Mosque to Farid Gate.
ASWJ Deputy Information Secretary Rao Javed Iqbal led the rally.
He Iqbal condemned the incidents and said that the government had been a silent spectator.
He said his group was not a terrorist organisation, it had only been labelled as one. He said the terrorists were blackmailing the government against taking action against the killers.
“We are tired of the funerals, but we will continue to be patient.”
The protesters demanded that the government immediately arrest those involved in the murder of their colleague in Bhakkar. They also demanded that the government initiate inquiries into Rawalpindi and Karachi incidents.
“If the government fails to act against extremists, we will formulate a plan of direct action,” he added.
Separately, Anjuman Wahdatul Muslameen, Shia Ulma Council and Imamia Students Organisation also led a protest rally against the Bhakkar incident. The protesters marched from Central Shia Mosque to Farid Gate.
The rallies went on over three hours.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2013.