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Pakistanis stopped from protesting US
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-23 20:40
Pakistani security forces on Monday stopped hundreds of hard-line Islamists
from heading to northwestern Pakistan to protest against a fatal U.S. missile
attack, the first time authorities have tried to quell mounting anti-American
sentiments.
The convoy of 2,000 protesters, led by senior politicians from an opposition
religious coalition, was heading to Damadola to protest the Jan. 13 attack that
targeted top al-Qaida leaders but also killed 13 civilians — outraging many in
this Islamic nation.
Hundreds of armed local police erected barricades at Yukka Ghund, a town
about 20 miles from Damadola, and blocked the convoy — which had set off earlier
from the capital Islamabad, gathering strength along the way.
There was no violence but some protesters chanted "Down with America! Down
with Musharraf!" After some of the political leaders made speeches, the convoy
headed back.
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is a close ally in Washington's war on
terror. The missile strike has intensified opposition among Pakistanis to that
alliance and appears to have stoked support for al-Qaida along its lawless
border with Afghanistan.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad, president of the opposition Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal or
United Action Front, a six-party Islamic coalition, said their rally was
peaceful.
"We were going to Bajur to condemn the attacks and to
prove that Pakistanis are against such acts against our sovereignty," said
Ahmad, referring to the tribal region where Damadola is located. He demanded
that Musharraf resign for failing to protect the lives of Pakistani citizens.
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