LAHORE, Nov 8: As police organized flag marches here and elsewhere in the province on Thursday to create a deterrence, the Punjab government is all prepared to foil the wheel-jam strike which the Pak-Afghan Defence Council (PADC) is determined to observe on Friday despite all warnings.

Unlike the strike observed on the call of the PADC on Oct 15 during which police quietly watched workers of religious parties to force traders to shut down their businesses, this time they have been directed to protect those unwilling to observe the strike.

The government has already declared a closed holiday on Friday on account of the birth anniversary of Allama Iqbal but still insisting that routine business will continue under protection from the law enforcement agencies.

Major markets in many cities of the province also observe their weekly holiday on Friday which is a half day in the government offices and educational institutions.

Political observers maintained that the holiday would help religious parties claim that all offices, business centres and educational institutions remained closed in response to their strike call.

“All the law enforcement agencies are on a high alert and they will not allow the religious parties to force the people observe strike,” a senior police official said here in the afternoon.

He said Thursday’s police action against the workers of Islami Jamiat Talaba was, in a way, a message to those who intended to disturb peace and force people to observe the strike. “They will be dealt with sternly,” he said.

However, Jamaat-i-Islami naib amir and PADC’s secretary Liaquat Baloch said in a statement the entire nation would observe the wheel-jam strike despite hurdles and negative propaganda by the government.

He had on Wednesday appealed to the Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice of the moves to prevent the people from exercising their right to protest against the government policies.

JUP chief Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani and leaders of other religious parties included in the PADC have also repeatedly resolved to observe the strike despite all warnings by the government.

JUI(F) secretary-general Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri had during a rally in Lahore on Nov 2 even asked workers to also effect suspension of the air and rail traffic.

In contrast, the Punjab government had been adopting all measures to foil attempts to observe the strike. Since his appointment nearly a week ago, Punjab Governor Lt-Gen Khalid Maqbool (retired), has been showing resolve to disallow “a handful of people to disrupt civic life and business activity in the name of protests.”

He has been meeting traders, transporters, lawyers, and ulema at the Governor’s House and in different cities to motivate them to ignore such calls, assuring them that they would be given full protection.

During his first-ever meeting with district Nazims he also asked them to take control of the law and order in their respective areas.

In response, the nazims coordinated efforts to fail the wheel-jam strike and some of them even addressed news conferences in Lahore and elsewhere to show their determination to ensure peace and smooth business on Friday.

On Thursday, IGP Malik Asif Hayat held a meeting with DIGs and later assured protection to traders, transporters and civilians. He also warned those found disturbing peace of strict action.

The meeting reportedly decided to hold flag marches in the province to give a sense of security to the people and create a deterrence for the religious parties. It was also decided to confine workers and leaders of religious parties to their homes and offices.

On Thursday, police was deployed at every crossing and important building in Lahore. They patrolled with commandos carrying sophisticated weapons and in anti-riot gear. And the police high-ups and the administration gave final touches to the plans for Friday.

The governor who earlier went to Multan, met with traders at the Governor’s House in the evening. Lahore Nazim Mian Amer chaired a meeting to review the arrangements, and took the councillors into confidence.

He said peace would be ensured in Lahore at any cost and no-one would be allowed to disturb law and order in the name of the strike.

He said people were closely watching everything and they were not ready to become a part of any move aimed at destabilizing the country.

Meanwhile, Liaquat Baloch has said the movement against America was peaceful but the government was trying to create unrest in the country by asking the agencies to disturb the law and order.

Mr Baloch asked the people to en bloc condemn the American attacks on Afghanistan and the government policies by remaining indoors on Friday.

He said reports reaching here from all over Pakistan indicated that there would be a complete wheel-jam strike in every town, and the traders community was expressing its willingness to also observe the strike.

Mr Baloch claimed that because of reduced number of passengers PIA had cancelled flights on Nov 9 and a lot of people cancelled their railway reservations for the day.

He said workers would assume their duties early in the morning on Friday for ensuring the strike, and business would also remain suspended in all vegetable and fruit markets.

He said the arrest of Qazi Husain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman after the registration of a sedition case against them by the NWFP home department was a mala fide of the government and it showed its dictatorial bend of mind.

He said the nation had responded to the call given by the religious parties and rejected the government policies. The arrest of the leaders would not go in favour of the government, he said.