Lahore demonstration against MQM

Lahore demonstration against MQM

By Farooq Tariq

On Thursday, over 3000 lawyers demonstrated in Lahore against the brutal burning of 6advocates in Karachi by MQM gangsters.

We wrote around 20 playcards against the killings. It was "no to MQM killings, Musharaf MQM a gang of murderers, MQM is a fascist organisation, No to MQM fascism, It was not fight between two lawyers group but a planned attack by MQM, murderer the MQM"

We were around fifty altoghether when we arrived at Awan Adal, here the Lahore Bar Association had planned to take out the demonstration.

We went inside the hall where speakers were condemning the Karachi killings. There were over a dozen women activist of LPP with us. We all stood in a line holding the playcards inside the hall. The advocates were reading the playcard with a real anger in their eyes. Then one of us raised a slogan, no to MQM murderers, the response was messaive. It uplifted the mood of anger.

We came out of the hall with the advocates and the emotions were very high so were the slogans. May be not a single lawyer who was not participating in raising the slogans.

At Lahore High Court, several hundreds more joined us. The media was around our contingent all the time. They were taking the pictures of our playcards which had very clear message and has caught the mood of tghe demonstrators.
At Charing Cross on Mall Road, the highly charged demonstration ended. The defensive mood of some after the beating of Sher Afghan Niazi, a former minister, had changed into a real anger against the dictatorship.

We were the only group carrying playcards. It helped to change the mood and a clear message of fighting back.

The BBC and several others printed the playcards and several private television channels showed the footage of the demonstration.

In the afternoon, another demonstration along with CMKP activists and lawyers was organised at Shimla Pehari Chouck.

We received several calls by the lawyers thanking for participating at a crucial time.