Lahorified; the Long March proceeds towards Islamabad
As Lahorites defied a virtual curfew in the city; Nawaz Sharif, his followers and the lawyers broke through all obstacles in their resolve to continue with the long march towards Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue.
The day had started with whole city celebrating the kite-flying festival of Basant while the security forces cracked down on lawyers and protestors gathering at GPO Chowk near the Lahore High Court. All prominent political activists and lawyers’ leaders including Mr.Nawaz Sharif and Barrister Aitezaz Ahsan were put under house arrest by official orders from the capital.
Nawaz Sharif after addressing his followers at his Model Town residence flouted the house-arrest and by people’s force on his side, proceeded towards Yadgar via Model Town Morr, Kalma Chowk, Muslim Town Morr, Ichhra, Mozang Chungi, and Data Darbar. Procession of lawyers followed under the leadership of Ahsan. Police after showing considerable resistance later backed off giving clear way to thousands of vehicles, motor-bikes and people on foot who continued their march in full zeal and spirit.
History has proven whenever people of this city take it to streets, change comes following. After today’s show of the people’s power, we might hear good news of political stability and reconciliation soon…
Images Courtesy: BBC News
Wish for no more – Lahore targeted again
Today’s blasts in Lahore are just the latest deadly attacks in Pakistan. At about 9.30am, the whole city was literally shaken by the sound of two explosions. They were so intense that people reported hearing them and feeling the windows shake as far as five kilometres away. At least 25 people are dead and another 150 or so have been injured.
Whether you blame it on the post-9/11 world, Pakistan’s internal political instability or its rulers’ decades-old policy of supporting the agenda of foreign powers at the expense of Pakistanis, things have gone from bad to worse over the past two years. The bombers have spread from tribal areas in the north-west and Baluchistan to target major cities, mainly in the form of suicide attacks on government and army targets.
One of the targets was the headquarters of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Temple Road, near major businesses and government offices. The first suicide bomber cleared the way for his associate by bringing the entrance gate down, while the second blew up his car inside the complex.
The second blast, unlike earlier incidents, happened in the upmarket residential area of Model Town, in front of the offices of an advertising agency. While the first attack could be attributed to the sensitive nature of the agency, the Model Town attack had no understandable motive – apart from the fact that it took place just round the corner from Bilawal House, home of the late ex-PM Benazir Bhutto and her party‘s Lahore headquarters.
Lahore is Pakistan’s cultural capital, and during he bloody months of last year it remained largely peaceful compared to Karachi. But 2008 brought a deadly attack on city policemen guarding the Lahore High Court during a lawyers’ rally in January, followed by an attack on the prestigious Navy War College earlier this month.
Read more at The Guardian Blog