Posted on 11/18/2002 2:31:25 PM PST by knighthawk
Quetta, Pakistan - The body of Mir Aimal Kasi, who was executed in the United States last week for murdering two CIA agents, was greeted in his native city on Monday by crowds of supporters waving black flags, cursing the US and vowing to avenge his death.
A plane carrying Kasi's coffin and two of his brothers who had escorted it from the US touched down in Quetta, the capital of the tribal-dominated desert province Baluchistan, just before 15:30.
Hundreds of supporters wearing headbands inscribed with the words "Aimal Kasi, Martyr" greeted the flight, shouting angry slogans to denounce the US over the execution and hailing Kasi as a martyr.
Kasi was killed by lethal injection in a Virginia jail on Friday for shooting dead the two Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents outside their Virginia headquarters.
He had justified the killings as vengeance for what he called US cruelty to Muslims and the CIA's involvement in Muslim countries such as Iraq, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Brad Garrett, who directed the four-year hunt for Kasi until his capture in 1997, said last week.
Revenge
A dark wooden coffin with a tiny bouquet of red flowers placed on top was unloaded from the plane into an ambulance waiting on the tarmac, as crowds outside the airport gate chanted, "We are proud of you Kasi", and, "Down with the US".
Others chanted "We will take revenge", "We will continue Kasi's mission".
"Hundreds of people have gathered here to pay him respect because he laid down his life for a cause, to attack anti-Muslim forces," tribal kinsman Ishaq Kasi said.
"Until the last minute he stood by his principles ... In history his name will be remembered for a long time," said fellow tribesman Zahid Kasi.
A convoy of cars, motorcycles and minibuses escorted the ambulance to Kasi's home through streets packed with onlookers, in a procession that took two hours to cover the 10km from the airport.
More than a thousand people walked behind, carrying Kasi's portrait and making victory signs with their hands.
The crowds swelled to some 3 000 by the time it reached Kasi's home, where dozens of armed police stood guard.
Up to 300 armed police lining the roads stood back from the volatile mourners, who wailed "Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and showered the coffin with rose petals.
The crowd also turned their anger on the government of President Pervez Musharraf, for its extensive co-operation with Washington in its war on terror, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whom they blamed for allowing US agents to capture Kasi in 1997.
Black flags
Truckloads of paramilitaries and anti-riot police patrolled Quetta's streets to quell possible unrest, following days of angry anti-US protests in the lead-up to his execution.
Black flags and banners fluttered throughout the city, many hoisted from shops whose owners have declared two days of mourning.
Hameedullah, one of the two brothers on the flight from New York via Lahore and Karachi, told reporters on arrival at Karachi airport that his brother had "lived like a brave man and died with no regrets".
"His death will not help America. Hatred against the US will increase in the Muslim world," he declared.
Kasi's execution prompted the US to issue a November 6 worldwide warning against possible retaliatory attacks. The US embassy in Islamabad was open as usual on Monday.
Kasi's family have decided to hold the funeral in the city's Ayub stadium on Tuesday. A procession will start from the home at 10:00.
Calling a strike for Tuesday until Kasi's burial, Quetta Traders' Association secretary general Mohammad Ibrahim Kasi praised him for "sacrificing his life to the cause of Muslims".
"A son of Baluchistan has embraced martyrdom and it is our duty to attend his funeral."
Now there's a snappy slogan. I suppose it's all in the translation.
Glad to see you back kh - hope you're feeling better!
They only had one set of jumper cables.
I hope we sent word that Pig's blood was included with the lethal injection.
Good question! It should not have been returned, IMO.
His head should be sewn inside a suckling pig and cooked, and then fed to hogs.
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