KARACHI, Nov 28: Street protests by several religious and political parties continued on a second consecutive day in the city against the Saturday air raid on Pakistan Army outposts in Mohmand Agency by US-led Nato forces that killed and wounded many soldiers.

While the Muttahida Quami Movement observed Pakistan Solidarity and Stability Day by organising programmes at its offices across the country to protest against the unprovoked aggression, several religious and political parties including Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JD) staged a rally outside the Karachi Press Club to express anger against the Nato strike.

The parties demanded that the government stop the logistic facility for Nato supplies permanently and shut down US bases across the country.

They termed the raid ‘an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty’.

JD leaders Maulana Saifullah Khalid, Naveed Qamar, Prof Mehmoodul Hasan Asad and Hafiz Kalimullah, JI leaders Asadullah Bhutto and Nasrullah Shajee and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader Qari Usman and others who addressed the rally asked the government to stop ‘politics of demands’ and start thinking over a common strategy to counter US threats which they said were mounting.

They said that Washington had never been a friend of Islamabad and alleged that it was promoting terrorism in the country in collaboration with India.

The leaders also criticised the government’s decision to grant the status of Most Favoured Nation to India and described it as ‘detrimental to our national interests’. They said that the decision would cast a negative impact on the national economy.

“The enthusiastic response given by the public to the stability and solidarity day proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Pakistani nation is capable of giving a befitting reply to any aggression on its borders,” said MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar while addressing a large crowd of party workers and supporters at the party headquarters, known as Nine Zero.

He paid tribute to the officers and personnel of Pakistan Army who lost their lives in the unprovoked attack.

He said that it should be made clear to the world that any adventure against the country’s sovereignty would be strongly dealt with.

Mr Sattar said the challenge should be converted into an opportunity and the nation should get united to make the defence of the country impregnable.

He asserted that the MQM would not shy away from offering any sacrifices for the country.

He said that the entire nation was firmly behind the armed forces.

On the instruction of MQM chief Altaf Hussain, the national flag was hoisted at the residences of party workers and supporters, buildings and public places.