Islamabad/Lahore: Thousands of activists of various religious and jihadi outfits led by Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed today protested across different Pakistani cities against the visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him for the unrest in Kashmir.
Activists of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Hizbul Mujahideen, United Jihad Council (UJC) and other such group protested to denounce Singh's trip, who arrived here earlier on Wednesday to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) ministerial conference being hosted by Pakistan.
Saeed led the rally in Lahore's Mall Road and vent out his anger over the government's decision to 'welcome' Singh despite his alleged "role in the killings of innocent Kashmiris".
Saeed said Pakistan government has added insult to the wounds of Kashmiris by welcoming Singh.
"We were not expecting that the Pakistani rulers would welcome Singh who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said, adding the rulers should have refused to receive the Indian home minister to lodge its protest over Kashmir atrocities.
Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) also held demonstrations in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Muzaffarabad. In Islamabad, the JuD held demonstrations at three points simultaneously, forcing the government to seal off the red- zone.
Syed Salahuddin, the leader of militant outfit Hizbul Mujahidden, who is also chief of UJC, and local leaders of other groups were seen during the protest in the capital.
Another protest was organised by Mishal Malik, wife of Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik, in front of National Press Clubhere.
On Tuesday, a JuD caravan led by Talha Saeed, the son of Saeed, had staged a sit-in at the Line of Control near Chakothi in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), where they were stopped by Pakistani security forces.
The protesters today continued their sit-in, demanding that India receives relief materials brought by them for Kashmiris.
A JuD statement said that it has no plans to leave the place unless India receives relief goods, dry food and medicines for the Kashmiris.
Hafiz Abdur Rauf, chief of Falayh-i-Insaniat Foundation, a sister organisation of JuD, said many doctors and paramedical staff were also present in the sit-in.
"These doctors and para-medical staff want to go Sri-Nagar to treat our injured Kashmiri brethren," he said.
Various religious and jihadi outfits in Pakistan are opposed to Singh's visit as they held him responsible for the unrest in Kashmir.
Earlier, Saeed has warned the government that Singh's presence in Islamabad may create "unrest" among Kashmiris aswell as Pakistanis in the face of scores of killings in Kashmir.
