KARACHI, Oct 9: A key leader of the Millat-i-Islamia, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Nadeem, on Thursday demanded immediate arrest of the assassins of Maulana Azam Tariq as identified in the relevant FIR.

Addressing a protest rally at Lasbela Chowk here on Thursday, he said: “We are peaceful people and preferred to lodge the FIR instead of taking law in our hands. However, if the government failed to arrest the culprits and restore justice, we will be left with no choice but to take revenge.”

He made it clear that if the government wanted peace to prevail, it should act immediately towards the arrest of the nominated accused.

He wondered that when Allama Jhangvi, Allama Ziaur Rehman Farooqui, Maulana Ali Sher Haideri, Maulana Azam Tariq, Engineer Ilyas Zubair and he himself had been nominated in FIRs, the government moved swiftly and arrested them, but now when Allama Sajid Naqvi and others had been nominated in FIR, the accused were not being arrested.

He warned that the party’s patience and peaceful protest should not be deemed as weakness, and remarked “we know how to take revenge.”

Maulana Nadeem announced observance of ‘protest day’ on Friday through out the city and said that the main assemblies of the day would be at Jamia Masjid Siddique-i-Akbar at Nagan Chowrangi and Dawood Chowrangi in Landhi.

He said that the peaceful day of protest was being observed in Karachi in line with the decision by the party’s central leadership to hold peaceful nationwide protest on Friday against the gruesome killing of Maulana Azam Tariq.

Engineer Ilyas Zubair, speaking on the occasion, declared said that if the nominated accused were arrested by Friday, the party leadership would extend full cooperation to the government. He, however, sounded a warning that there would be no guarantee on law and order if the deadline was not met.

Another party leader, Maulana Muhammad Amin, said that Millat-i-Islamia did not believe in street protests, but the government had made it a practice that it would not move until the oppressed took to the streets.

Maulana Aurangzeb also addressed the rally.

SECURITY: Police and paramilitary Rangers cordoned off all the roads leading to Lasbela Chowk to ensure peace during the rally. Special vigilance was observed to prevent the participants from causing damage to property. Markets, shops and other business concerns remained closed owing to charged atmosphere and the entire commercial area, including Patel Para, Nishtar Road and Golimar Road, wore a deserted look as participants of the rally started pouring-in, most of them using public transport and trucks. Roads and arteries in the area were closed to other commuters. Personnel of the law-enforcement agencies remained alert till the end of the rally.