JuD activists protest takeover of headquarters by Pak govt

Hundreds of activists and supporters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah terror group staged a demonstration outside the organisation's headquarters in Muridke to protest its takeover by Pak authorities.

Hundreds of activists and supporters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah terror group, linked to the Mumbai attacks, on Tuesday staged a demonstration outside the organisation's headquarters in Muridke to protest its takeover by Pakistani authorities.

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Waving the Jamaat's black and white flag and carrying banners, the protestors disrupted traffic for some time on GT Road outside the Markaz-e-Taiba complex in Murdike, located about 30 km from the eastern city of Lahore.

This is the second consecutive day that pro-JuD protestors demonstrated against the government crackdown that came after the UN Security Counil declared the outfit, a front of Lashker-e-Toiba, as a terror group.

The protestors carried banners that read "Restrictions on Jamaat-ud-Dawah because of Indian pressure are not acceptable" and "Free Hafiz Mohammed Saeed", referring to chief of the JuD. Some of the protestors brandished long sticks.

No police personnel were present at the time of the protest or inside the Muridke complex, TV channels reported. Despite the takeover of the Jamaat headquarters on Sunday by the government of Punjab province, no security personnel had been posted there as yet, reports said.

Students of educational institutions run by the Jamaat at the sprawling Markaz-e-Taiba complex were also part of the protests. The protestors later went back into the Muridke compound and continued their demonstration inside.

They told reporters that the takeover of the Jamaat complex by the authorities was "unethical".