Islamabad, Nov 26 (PTI): Hundreds of members of banned extremist and terror groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, joined a rally in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Friday to protest the government's move to normalize trade ties with India.
JuD leader Abdul Aziz Alvi, who was briefly detained by Pakistani authorities in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, told the protesters: "We will never accept this decision".
The rally was held in the main square of PoK capital Muzaffarabad. Friday's rally comes a day after similar protest was organised in Lahore on Thursday. At the rally in PoK, the protesters, mostly members of the LeT, JeM, JuD and Jamaat-e-Islami, shouted slogans against the Pakistan government and India. They were joined by supporters of the main opposition PML-N party.
The protesters later blocked the main road in the centre of Muzaffarabad by burning tyres. Pakistan's cabinet last month said it had approved a proposal to normalize trade ties with India. Officials have said the process will eventually lead to the granting of Most Favoured Nation-status to India.
The JuD, declared a front for the LeT by the UN Security Council, has been spearheading protests against the move to give India MFN-status.