A protest has been held in condemnation of the Pakistani police force’s actions that saw eight people killed in clashes, including women. Organised by the local Minhaj-ul-Quran branch, over 50 demonstrators took part in a protest outside Bradford’s Consulate of Pakistan, holding up banners that read ‘no more greed, no more corruption’, and ‘pathetic murderous liar Nawaz’. It was held in retaliation to recent events when police in Lahore fired without warning on supporters of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) political party, which is headed by Tahir-ul Qadri, an opposition politician and Muslim cleric.Supporters had reportedly attempted to resist police demolition of security barriers erected by PAT in front of its headquarters in the Lahore residential area of Model Town. At least eight people were killed when police clashed with the PAT supporters who were protesting outside the party headquarters. Two women were among the dead, and over 50 people were injured.PAT supporters and activists have condemned the actions made by police and have termed the incident as ‘state terrorism’.

Vice president of the Bradford branch of Minhaj-ul-Quran, Seerat Ali Khan, told the Yorkshire Standard: “The protest was held due to the brutal attack that was attributed on innocent people. The police attacked them in the late night when they were sleeping and even praying.“I was born in Pakistan, and I have never seen such a case. We believe Sheikh-ul-Islam Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri can bring change and give voice to the people.”Tahira Afzal, a member of the PAT movement, said: “Innocent people, including two women, were brutally killed. We’re stating that we’ve had enough. We want real democracy in Pakistan and we want to call on change.”Delegates from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, Bradford’s Respect Party and other groups spoke in solidarity with protestors against the attack.Similar protests were also held throughout the UK such as London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

Source: www.yorkshirestandard.co.uk