The Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) held protests in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Islamabad, Multan and Peshawar on Friday against the Federal Cabinet’s decision to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India.
Clerics spoke against the decision in their Friday address and opposed the decision in protests were held after Friday prayers.
The JI demanded a ban on trade with India. Speaking at Mansoora, JI chief Munawar Hasan said the people must oppose the move and begin a movement against the US. He said while Commerce Secretaries had finalised the trade list, Prime Minister (PM) Gilani was deceiving people that no decision was taken. Addressing a protest at Multan Road near Mansoora, JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said people will not accept the government’s decision. The protest outside the National Press Club Islamabad was addressed by JI Islamabad chief Mian Muhammad Aslam. A protest outside Masjid al-Ikhwan in Karachi was addressed by Sindh chief Asadullah Bhutto. Protest rallies were also held at Multan, Peshawar and Quetta.
Seperately, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD) organised a protest on the matter at Chauburgi Lahore in which they burnt Indian flags and chanted slogans against India. The JD warned it would stage a sit-in at Wagha border to stop Indian trade.
