Multi-faith peace march held in Nepal's capital

By: Abdullah

KATMANDU, Nepal: Thousands of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians marched in Katmandu on Sunday, urging religious tolerance in wake of riots over the killing of 12 Nepalese hostages by Iraqi terrorists using the name of Islam aimed at defaming the religion of love and peace.

Christian nuns, Buddhist monks, Hindu priests and Muslim clerics led the silent rally in the capital city which was held under the watch of hundreds of soldiers. There were no reports of trouble.

The government lifted its shoot-on-sight curfew for 10 hours on Sunday, enabling flights to resume and college students to take exams. The curfew was imposed amid last week's unrest during which a mosque was ransacked, media offices and Middle Eastern and Pakistani airline offices were targeted. The government has ordered a probe into the attacks in the Nepalese capital.

Violent protests erupted in Nepal after news surfaced that 12 Nepalese hostages were executed in Iraq. About 2-dozen hostages including Muslims have been executed in Iraq by the terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, businesses damaged in the riots are seeking compensation and security from the government.

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