Civilians once again raise voice for Dr Aafia’s release

Staff Report

LAHORE: Dozens of civilians from different walks of life, on Sunday, staged a protest demonstration in front of the American Consulate under Aafia Movement for the release of Dr Aafia, who is detained in an American jail for the last nine years.

The rally commenced from the American Consulate and ended outside the Lahore Press Club (LPC), during which the protesters continually chanted anti-America slogans.

The protesters were also holding placards and flags representing their respective parties. Dr Aafia’s mother, Asmat Siddiqui, also addressed the protesters on telephone. She said that the government should fulfil its pledge of releasing Dr Aafia. This would be the ninth Ramazan that I would be spending without my daughter, she added.

Meanwhile, family members of Ebadur Rehman, who was crushed to death by the accomplices of Raymond Davis, also participated in the protest. Edad’s elder brother, Ijazur Rehman, demanded the government to arrest those accused of killing his brother.

A large number of political activists belonging to Khaksar Tehreek, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pasban Lahore and Tehreek Istaqlal also participated in the protest.

Separately, two unidentified persons were found dead under mysterious circumstances from two different areas of the metropolis on Sunday. A 30-year-old unidentified man was found lying dead near Bilal Ganj. A passersby spotted the dead body and informed the local police. Police shifted the dead body to a city morgue for autopsy. Police suspected that the deceased was a drug addict and died of excessive drug usage. Meanwhile, another unidentified dead body was recovered from Begum Kot. Police shifted the dead body to a city morgue.

Two persons sustained injuries owing to a chemical reaction that resulted in a minor blast in an ice factory near Seven-Up bridge in Gulberg police limits. The victims, identified as Nawaz and Sarfraz, were workers in the ice factory. They were doing their routine job when the chemical reaction took place and a blast was heard. As a result, both received serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital by Edhi ambulances. The blast created panic in the area and Bomb Disposal Squad rushed to the spot. The squad confirmed that it was not a cracker blast.

Home | National