Thousands attend JI's anti-Nato rally

18 Jul, 2012

Thousands of activists shouted "death to America" on Tuesday at the latest rally protesting the lifting of a seven-month blockade on Nato supplies into Afghanistan. The march was organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI).
"Nato supplies not acceptable", "Our war will continue", "Friends of US are traitors", shouted the crowd after marching from Peshawar to the nearby town of Jamrud.
Local administration official Bakhtiar Khan put the figure at between 18,000 and 20,000, although an AFP photographer estimated the numbers to be closer to 8,000 to 10,000.
"We want an end to US slavery, an end to US interference, a ban on Nato supplies through Pakistan and an end to US drone attacks on Pakistan," JI leader Munawar Hussain said, addressing the crowd.
"The war against terror has killed 40,000 people and destroyed peace in the country," he added. Local administrator Khan said the demonstrators themselves had decided to call a halt in Jamrud, rather than continue further up the mountains to the Torkham border crossing.
"We did not create any hurdle in their protest march. They themselves decided not to go beyond Jamrud," he told AFP.
Members of the crowd told AFP on Tuesday that Islamabad's decision to reopen the border, despite the United States eventually apologising for the deaths, was "treason".
"The rulers have sold their blood for US dollars but we will continue to oppose it," said Mohammad Amin, a shopkeeper from Swat valley.

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