Pakistani Americans Hold Anti-Taliban Protest in Washington

Pictures above: Pakistani Americans brave rain and rough weather to register their protest against Talibanization in Washington, DC

Washington , DC : The Pakistani American community braved the rain on May 7, 2009 to come out in force and protest against the Taliban and perceived Pakistani government inaction and concessions to the Taliban.

The protest was staged in front of the Willard Intercontinental Hotel where Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari was staying during the trilateral talks in Washington DC between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.

Protesters held placards with slogans reading "One Pakistan, One Constitution, One Judiciary," and "Education Not Talibanization."

The protest was organized at the grassroots community level and was not affiliated to any foreign or domestic organization or political party, including PAL-C.

A statement issued on the occasion, inter alia, stated,

“The Pakistani expatriate community of the Greater Washington Baltimore Area is dismayed by the apathy and ambivalence shown by the current government in acting against the Taliban and other religious extremists who are out to destroy the sovereignty of the nation and the security of its citizens…

“Let us be very clear: The Taliban are attacking every single group in Pakistan irrespective of gender, class, religious or ethnic affiliation. To date, no community, small or large, has been spared. Women are particularly being targeted. In areas under Taliban control they cannot attend schools, go outside their homes, and are being terrorized into silence …

“This is not the Pakistan for which millions of lives were sacrificed. What we want, and the people of Pakistan want, is one constitution for Pakistan that safeguards the life and liberty of all its citizens, without any parallel legal systems such as the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation recently passed by the Parliament …”

To read the full statement please click here .

 

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