LAHORE – Citizens of Lahore, mostly the youth, gathered at the Liberty Chowk and later walked to the Kalma Chowk, rallying for ‘peace and against religious extremism’ on Sunday. This rally, titled ‘rally to restore sanity and conscience’, was organised over Facebook and the participants of this walk said that they did not want Pakistan to be ‘hijacked by irrational hate mongers’.
People from all walks of life protested against intolerance and disharmony in the society and condemned violence and religious extremism. Many of the protestors chanted slogans against ‘mullahs’ (clerics). They blamed intolerance and corruption as the root cause of ills in the society because of which the common man continued to suffer. Zeeba Hashmi, one of the organisers, said, “Pakistan is for all Pakistanis despite ethnic, linguistic, religious and sectarian differences.”
According to a press release issued by the organisers, “We urge the government to protect all of its citizens from fascist and extremist forces that make threats against peace-loving citizens of Pakistan by forcing their opinion on others. We demand that government should stop mob violence culture and take action against the promoters of the hate, violence and extremism in the name of religion and ethnicity. We believe that all religions promote peace, harmony, coexistence and pluralism in the society which are important elements for a progressive Pakistan.”
