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Pakistanis cool on backing U.S.©Los Angeles Times
© St. Petersburg Times, QUETTA, Pakistan -- A government-organized Pakistan Solidarity Day rally here Thursday meant to show a groundswell of backing for President Pervez Musharraf and his pro-U.S. policies became a display of anything but unity. It was a sobering debacle suggesting that public support for Musharraf's decision to help the United States in its war against terrorism, at least in this city less than 50 miles from the Afghan border, is thin, unenthusiastic and controversial. Similar rallies were staged in other Pakistani cities -- including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, the capital -- where attendance reportedly was also lower than expected. At the government-sponsored rally in Quetta, about 1,500 people -- mainly schoolchildren with their teachers, youth groups and off-duty civil servants -- gathered under a searing midday sun in Liaquat Park to hear speeches and some surprising expressions of dissent. With the crowd in place, pro-government speakers trooped into the park appearing tense and grim but still managing to generate a smattering of applause. They looked out on a swath of Pakistani flags and carefully printed banners that carried slogans such as "One Nation, One Voice, One Thought" and "Islam Is Against Terrorism." After about four speakers issued statements that the nation stood in solidarity with Musharraf, a local mullah came to the microphone and stunned organizers by denouncing the United States and Pakistan's decision to support the Bush administration. "America's role has never been good for our country; it supports terrorism against Muslims," the religious leader, Kari Abdul Rehmen, said as organizers frantically whispered to him that his allotted time was up. Occasionally, muffled calls of "Jihad!" could be heard coming from young people, apparently too frightened to shout louder for fear of being disciplined. Although the word "jihad" has many meanings, within the context of Thursday's rally it was clearly an expression of solidarity with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. The performance served as a cautionary tale that organizing rallies in support of military governments can be a tricky business. Several entrances to the park were closed once the rally began. When security officials opened a couple of them while the speeches were still in progress, some children ran out. An organizer yelled: "Why are you letting them go? It's not over yet!" By the time the main speaker, Baluchistan Gov. Amirul Mulk Mengal, began his talk, many at the rally had slipped away. The weak showing in the streets would appear to confirm analysts' assessment that the vast majority of Pakistanis are torn and confused in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks: unenthusiastic either about supporting a neighboring government harboring a terrorism suspect or assisting the Americans in an attack on Afghanistan.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
