By IANS,
Islamabad : Thousands of people Monday rallied here to protest against US drone attacks in the country’s tribal regions and the government’s decision to restore supply lines for NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Political and religious leaders lashed out at the US and held it responsible for instability in the region and terrorism in Pakistan, Xinhua reported.
They asked the government to quit the US-led coalition and to form an independent foreign policy free of American influence.
“Joining the US coalition against the so-called terrorism has promoted terrorism,” chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party Syed Munawar Hsasin told the crowd at Aabpara Chowk, a busy marketplace in the heart of the capital.
The rally was organized by Pakistan Defence Council (PDC), an amalgamation of nearly 40 religious and political groups.
Several banned radical groups are also part of the PDC.
Riot police were deployed to prevent the protestors from moving towards the parliament. No violence was reported.