Quetta: Thousands of people rallied in Quetta on Wednesday to pay tribute to al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden on his first death anniversary, witnesses said.
More than 1,500 activists from a pro-Taliban religious political party gathered in the city’s central Mezan Square, carrying bin Laden posters, shouting “Long Live Osama” and torched a US flag, reports the Daily Times. “Osama was a hero of the whole Muslim world, he was the real mujahid (holy warrior),” Abdul Qadir Looni, a party leader said while addressing the rally. “He will be remembered forever in our hearts,” he added.
The demonstrators also prayed for Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
Bin Laden, the al Qaeda founder and alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks, was killed on May 02, 2011 in a secret US Navy SEAL operation in a walled-off compound in the garrison town of Abbottabad, in Pakistan.
The protest came a day after US President Barack Obama visited neighbouring Afghanistan on the anniversary of bin Laden’s killing. Pakistan went on high alert on Wednesday over fears terrorists would launch revenge attacks, but no major incidents took place. Washington and Islamabad are now working to repair their relationship, which was badly damaged by the revelation that the world’s most wanted man was living in Pakistan.
ANI