LAHORE: The Milli Yakjehti Council on Wednesday announced their decision to launch a protest movement for release of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and protection of the country’s Islamic laws.
In a meeting of the coalition’s central executive council the decision was made to observe a week of protests starting from Friday, February 10, with country-wide rallies being organised for both causes.
They also announced a rally on Sunday, from Nasser Bagh to the Punjab Assembly.
The Council, which is an alliance of 25 religious parties and groups, demanded that Hafiz Saeed be set free without delay and that the government apologise for detaining him.
It further demanded that all JuD workers be released and all cases filed against them be withdrawn.
The council also announced plans to convene a media conference on the issue of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and their protection.
Council leaders warned the legislature against making any changes to the blasphemy laws, vowing to defend its present form at “every cost”.
The alliance blamed the government for the rise in sectarian violence, saying their practice of letting blasphemy suspects “off the hook” was fanning sectarianism.
Council chief Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair noted, “The government was also trying to dilute the Two Nation Theory through different conspiracies and the council had decided to call a conference for protection of the ideological basis of the country.”
