Following the call for countrywide protests by the Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC), a protest rally was held in the provincial capital at Nasir Bagh on Friday to condemn the reopening of the NATO supply routes. The protesters, led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, gathered to express their resolve against the parliament’s move. Addressing the protesters, Hafiz Saeed vowed to stop the NATO supplies by force and threatened the government with consequences for the mistakes it had made, saying that they were “worse than the mistakes made by former military dictator General Musharraf when was in America’s service.” He stated that the nation supported his move of protesting against restoring the NATO supplies and said the rulers were not aware of the demands of the masses.
He blamed USA for the recent sectarian killings and the Balochistan separatist movement and criticised the government for acting as Washington’s slaves. He announced that long marches will be held in various cities and signature campaigns will be initiated to demonstrate the public’s criticism for restoring NATO supplies. The protest was also addressed by Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Qari Yaqoob Sheikh, Dr Farid Paracha, Pir Saifullah Khalid, Naeem Badshah, Yusuf Ahrar, Hasnain Siddiqi, Shamsur Rehman Muavia, Maulana Asim Makhdoom, Rana Nasrullah and Idris Farooqi among others.
