LAHORE: A rally funded, organised and backed by the ideologically motivated Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust, emerged from Faisal Chowk and went towards the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.
Of the many protests taking place in the country against comments made by US President Donald Trump over Pakistan’s harbouring of terrorists, this one was supposedly a coming together of many different groups for the greater good.
However, even as other marches and sit-ins caught steam, the rain hit Lahore rally could not manage to garner the numbers it had perhaps hoped for, with not more than a few dozen people gathering.
Furthermore, according to sources close to Pakistan Today and participants of the rally, the entire operation has been funded by the Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust.
While the trust took a backseat in the protest itself, their involvement in its coming together was clear. Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust buses draped with banners of ‘Hum hain Pakistan’ took the protestors from one destination to the other. Many of the advertisement posters hanging along the rally’s path were also paid for by the trust.
The rally resulted in a gathering of some 50 to 60 men and a few women, who stopped over at Charing Cross in front of the Punjab Assembly, to chant uber-nationalist slogans at the beat of a patriotic song and waving Pakistan buntings before making their way towards the press club.
The protestors held that they would fight back for the sake of the country, and spoke at length about how Trump’s statements were the result of “a conspiracy nexus between Indians, Americans and Israel.” They made these statements as they trampled over pictures of Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi which were placed on the road.
Surrounded by a presence of about 3o police officers, the small crowd contained tiny representations from all corners of society including lawyers, clerics, boy scouts and members of the civil society.
Perhaps one of the more ill-famed aspect of the entire affair were cars baring the banners of the Mili Muslim League (MML), which although not explicitly stated, were a general part of the caravan.
The ‘Hum hain Pakistan’ movement describes itself as being non-aligned and apolitical, and was at the forefront of the protest along with others such as the Pakistan Khidmatgar, Ikhlaq Pakistan, individual lawyers and civil society members.
The Nazaria-e-Pakistan Trust seems to be using these as a front for their own agendas however, with their original research purposes seemingly abandoned in favour of agitational politics.
The trust, by its very definition and mission statement, is supposed to be a research organisation, working towards building awareness regarding objectives of the creation of Pakistan. And while their involvement in such movements is irresponsible as it is, their funding and organising of it is even more questionable.
