Following in the footsteps of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the All Pakistan Muslim League and Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, it was the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC)’s turn to hold a public gathering in Karachi on Sunday.
Police blocked the MA Jinnah Road and the usual activity – via public buses, rickshaws, motorcycles and other vehicles – was lacking on one of the metropolitan’s most significant roads.
At the Numaish Chowrangi, many stalls had been set up by different religious parties, many of which are carrying out their activities under new names after they were banned by the Pakistani government.
The roundabout was “decorated” with flags and banners of the 40 political and religious parties that form the DPC coalition – which has been vociferously demanding the government to keep the NATO supply routes closed, withdraw its decision to grant India the status of the Most Favoured Nation and to make arrangements for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
One look outside the main ground of the public gathering made one remind of being at a festival where traders set up makeshift shops to sell different products.
While Sindh is internationally recognised for holding attractive festivals and public gatherings at the shrines of Sufi saints, the festival outside the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was of a different nature.
In traditional Sindhi festivals at saints’ shrines, vendors usually sell toys, bangles, sweets, and even axes and sickles.
However, at the festival held in Sindh’s capital on Sunday, the products on sale were entirely different and were apparently being sold keeping in mind the participants of the DPC gathering.
A bearded man was selling “export-quality” miswak acquired from the indigenous trees and wrapped in special paper, whereas another was selling taqiyahs (short, rounded caps worn by some observant Muslim men).
A man put on display “alcohol-free Islamic” attar (natural perfume oil derived from botanical sources), whereas a young man beckoned passers-by to sell them army jackets, attracting many whom jihad interests.
Some vendors put on sale posters of young men carrying rocket launchers and apparently getting ready to attack, while others were offering stickers and badges bearing slogans of different religious organisations.
A man was selling key chains of replica rifles and other miniature versions of menacing-looking guns.
Another man had set up a stall selling CDs packed in simple wrappers and handwritten titles revealing the contents of the disks.
‘Jihadi Taraanay (Jihadi Anthems)’, ‘Modern Training of Jihad’, ‘Suicidal Attacks by Lashkar-e-Taiba’, ‘Jihad in Afghanistan by Jundullah’ and other “interesting” titles “adorned” these CDs.
While the Crime Investigation Department often organises press conferences and proudly claims recovering jihadi materials, including literature and CDs, of banned religious organisations, these jihadi products were openly available for the participants of the DPC gathering.
SECURITY: Strict security arrangements were made by volunteers belonging to different religious parties that are part of the DPC.
With their flags raised high, horse-mounted volunteers kept their eye on everyone in their sight, as their horses strutted around the gathering’s venue.
Special walkthrough gates were installed on the main entrance of the venue of the gathering and everyone was checked thoroughly before being allowed to enter.
Volunteers carrying weapons were keeping surveillance from over 20 watchtowers erected all around the ground.
wow i like thiz line
"Rally of JIHADIS, by JIHADIS, for JIHADIS"
WE LOVE ISLAM & WANTS TO IMPLMENT IT IN OUR CONTURY IN TRU SPRIT.
Dont be afraid . They are nice peoples and have just gathered to defend their country.
why r u so frightend even islam is is nt implimented in its true spirit.wait for that moment please.this is just to show u that muslims r waking up.its their turn now so b patient.
THIS PART IS CORRECT! WE MUST IMMEDIATELY ORGANIZE OURSELVES INTO A GROUP OF MUJAHIDEEN TO STORM THE CARSWELL PRISON, IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS, TO FREE OUR SISTER AAFIA SIDDIQUI, AND WE MUST IMMEDIATELY LOCATE AND RESCUE HER SON SULEYMAN, WE MUST NOT HESITATE TO KILL EVERYONE AT THE PRISON IN OUR WAY TO FREE HER, AND WE MUST EXECUTE IN THE MOST BRUTAL MANNER EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN HER ORDEAL, INCLUDING RICHARD BERMAN, THE JURY, BUSH, OBAMA, HARPER, THE FBI AND FIA WHO KIDNAPPED AND INTERROGATED HER, AND THE REST! WE MUST DO THE SAME FOR ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ACROSS THE WORLD. WE MUST IMMEDIATELY DESTROY WASHINGTON, TEL AVIV, CUT THE NECKS OF ALL THE JEWS, RE-ESTABLISH THE CALIPHATE, RULE BY THE SHARIAH, ENGAGE IN JIHAD FULL TIME, SPREAD JUSTICE THE WAY INJUSTICE IS SPREAD, OBLITERATE POVERTY ONCE AND FOR ALL, COMPENSATE ALL VICTIMS OF EVERY KIND OF ABUSE, HUNT DOWN THE INTEREST BASED BANKERS AND MURDER THEM! WE MUST DO ALL THIS NOW. THERE IS INDEED NONE WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH, AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER! (UPON WHOM BE PEACE).
IF WORLD MOVES THIS WAY THE DAY IS NOT FAR WHEN ALL POWERS OF WORLD WILL BE BOUND TO VANISH ISLAM FROM THE PLANET TO SECURE LIVE.
THIS IS A JOKE!
To allow terrorist to openly preach what they practice really shows how much Pakistan has lost. The fact that these organizations can come forward under differnt names and the same slogan shows that there is no hope for Pakistan.
My suggestion would be for each and every participant of these "jihadi" rallies to be arrested and f-ed up the ass by police batons!
PAKISTAN —- PLEASE WAKE UP!
What an incredibly biased article…..wow! What does the editor at Pakistan Today do? Sleep all day? This entire article is peppered with extreme prejudice….look at the way this guy used "bearded" in his writing…and how he ridicules everything somehow related to an Islamic identity and how he portrays other alternatives in such a positive light, i.e. the hinduized version in the form of sufiism. If you are going to be so extremely judgemental, don't be a hypocrite and blame others for being judgemental of you..the only difference is that they have the will and power to do what you only wish you could.
These "jihadis" are the reason India, Russia and the US don't just walk all over us! Have some respect, all of us Pakistanis know its not liberals like you that will stand to defend this country in her hour of need, you will always side with the foreign invaders and betray your own people.
People who made DPC had history of huge gathering in their ralies and jalsas. They are only good at this. Reason you aske me… "islam ki dukan laga kay yeh loog akhrat, janat aur apna one sided barbaric agenda baichtay hain, "
Aur waisay bhee jahan itnay haram khoor molvi ikhathay hoon ….makhiyan tau jam`ma honi hee hain
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