Protests spread in Pakistan
SLAMABAD: Angry Pakistanis near the Afghan border threatened war against Americans, and police fired tear gas at protesters in the country's largest city as Muslim parties launched nationwide strikes Friday to protest Pakistan's support for Washington in its campaign against terrorism.
The demonstrations were called throughout the country after Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf gave his support to US efforts to apprehend suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and to break up his suspected terrorist network operating from neighbouring Afghanistan.
The extent of the protests was unclear because starting times varied from city to city. Many shops were closed and transport suspended, in part out of fear of violence. Friday is the Muslim day of prayer, and police braced for more demonstrations after midday services at mosques.
In Peshawar, thousands of people marched to the center of the northwestern city, screaming anti-U.S. and anti-Pakistan slogans. They gathered in front of the main mosque where their religious leaders made speeches over a microphone supporting bin Laden and the hard-line Muslim Taliban leadership that has protected him and his followers in Afghanistan for years.
Jamming the streets of the city, where all markets and stores were closed, the protesters carried a life-size effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush, and shouted slogans such as "Long live Osama."
"We will fight until the death and destruction of the United States," said one sign. "Crush America and Bush" said another.
Hundreds of people watched the procession from rooftops and balconies in a city where most people are Pashtun, the same ethnic group that dominates Taliban.
One tribal leader, Sabar Abdul Rehman, told the crowd that his area near the Khyber pass will reduce the price of guns from 8,000 (dlrs 124) rupees to 500 (dlrs 8). "I invite the Americans to come to our land so you can see for yourselves what will be done to you," he said.
No violence was reported, as heavily armed police stood by and watched.
In Karachi, the country's biggest city and commercial hub, police fired tear gas and beat people with iron-tipped sticks to disperse small demonstrations by people who pelted vehicles with stones and blocked roads. At least 70 demonstrators were arrested, police said.
In the largest protest, about 1,500 Afghan refugees clashed with the police in Karachi's Sohrab Goth neighborhood. The Afghans burned tires and attacked the few vehicles on the streets.
Major markets in the city were closed. In Lahore, a city east of Islamabad, most main markets did not open, and people were expected to join an anti-government march later Friday after services at the main mosque.
In Islamabad, the capital, the government ordered schools and offices closed for their own safety. No protests were immediately held in response to the call by hardline Muslims for the nationwide anti-government strike to oppose Musharraf pledge to support for Washington in trying to capture bin Laden, the chief suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
In the southwestern city of Quetta, most shops and markets were closed, and police dressed in riot gear guarded the streets, ordering foreign journalists to stay in their hotels. No protests were reported by midday, several hours before services were to begin at local mosques.
( AP )
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