MULTAN: Partial strike in Punjab: Five cops injured in Melsi clash
Dawn Report
MULTAN, Nov 9: A partial strike was observed in most parts of the Punjab on the call of the Pakistan and Afghanistan Defence Council on Friday in protest against US attacks on Afghanistan.
Assessing traders’ response to the strike call was rather difficult as Friday is the business community day off in most parts of the province.
Inter and intra-city vehicular traffic was thin. A Dawn staffer who travelled by road from Rahim Yar Khan to Lahore via Bahawalpur, Vehari, Sahiwal and Okara found inter-city wagons, AC coaches and most of the buses off road. Most of the operators brought their vehicles out after 4pm.
A transporter in Vehari said though the administration had promised ‘complete’ security, they could not afford bringing their vehicles to roads.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the Punjab except Shahdan Lond and Mailsi. In Jalla Jeem village of Mailsi tehsil, protesters and law enforcers’ clash left five police officials — ASI Rana Afzal, constables Muhammad Husain, Allah Ditta, Iqbal and Abdul Sattar — injured. They were admitted to the tehsil headquarters hospital of Mailsi.
A village of some 20,000, Jalla Jeem is considered a stronghold of the Sipah-i-Sahaba and the Jaish Muhammad. The clash followed a police baton charge on protesters who had blocked all roads leading to Jalla Jeem.
In Faisalabad, about a dozen leaders and activists of religious parties were arrested by police when they tried to block roads and forced people to observe a strike.
Police arrested activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan from various parts of the city, including Sargodha Road, Noorpur and Tandlianwala tehsil to stop them from agitating against what they called anti-Islam policies of the government.
Three youth were arrested when they tried to block the Faisalabad-Sargodha Road by burning tyres.
Some SSP activists blocked the Faisalabad-Jaranwala Road near the grid station and pelted stones on vehicles. They also blocked traffic for some time, but disappeared when police reached the spot.
Tandlianwala police arrested SSP leader Maulana Abdul Rauf, Saleem and Imran Ahmad.
Prayer leaders Maulana Sabir Sarhandi of Jamia Masjid Mujadadi, Mansoorabad, and Maulana Abdul Aziz of Jamia Masjid, Noorpur, were arrested for violating ban on loudspeaker.
Protest demonstrations were also held in Chak Jhumra, Tandlianwala, Samundri, Jarawanla and Saddar tehsils. However, no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.
Meanwhile, all shopping centres of eight bazaars, yarn market, grain market and cloth markets remained closed. There was also no business in commercial areas like Satiana Road, D-Grounds, Ghulam Muhammadabad, Samanabad and Gulistan Colony.
Traffic on city roads was thin due to Friday as a weekly holiday. Wagons of the Faisalabad Urban Transport remained on roads throughout the day.
In Sialkot, a partial strike was observed.
Due to a weekly holiday, most of the shops, markets, bazaars, shopping centres and financial institutions remained closed in Sialkot city, Cantonment, Daska, Bhopalwala, Ugoki, Begowala, Pasrur, Chawinda, Badiana, Shakargarh, Zafarwal, Baddomalhi and Narowal.
Rallies were held in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial, Pasrur, Shakargarh and Narowal by religious parties and social organizations. In Sialkot city, the rally started from Allama Iqbal Chowk and ended at the district government’s secretariat. In Daska city, the rally held from Milad Chowk to Kutchery Chowk.
In their Juma sermons, ulema expressed solidarity with the Afghans and demanded ouster of US-led military troops from Afghanistan. No untoward incident was reported.
In Gujranwala, almost all main bazaars, markets and shopping centres remained closed due to a weekly holiday. Shops in various bazaars of interior parts of the city and Satellite Town, Model Town, People’s Colony, Hafizabad Road and Naushera Road also remained opened.
Traffic continued plying on the GT Road as usual. However, vehicles in remote areas remained off the road due to a fear of violence.
Religious parties did not take out any procession in the city after Juma prayers. However, ulema and prayer leaders condemned the US attack on Afghanistan.
In Toba Tek Singh, shops remained closed in all towns of the district, including Kamalia, Gojra and Pirmahal.
A public meeting was held in the grain market to condemn the attack on Afghanistan.
In Sargodha, activists of the Pak-Afghanistan Defence Council succeeded to convince traders to put their shutters down, but could not manage a wheeljam.
Ulema took out a procession from Jamia Block No 1 and marched on various roads. The rally was led by Maulana Ahmad Saeed Hashmi and Dr. Muhammad Arshad of the JI.
Activists of religious parties burnt tyres on Fatima Jinnah Road and pelted stones on police. In retaliation, the police resorted to teargas shelling and lathi-charge. In the clash, three policemen were injured and over 12 protesters injured.
Police arrested some 12 protesters, including Nasir, Shahbaz, Raheel and Akhtar.
Meanwhile, public transport continued to ply under the supervision of police. The protesters tried to block traffic on the Sargodha-Khushab Road and Sargodha-Lahore Road, and damaged seven vehicles, injuring six passengers. Some groups attempted to stop trains, but police foiled their all such attempts.
In Bahawalpur, police arrested many activists of religious and jihadi organizations in a bid to foil an attempt to observe a wheeljam strike and stage a rally against US aggression on Afghanistan.
However, a wheeljam strike was observed in the city and shops and markets also remained closed. A protest rally was held at Chowk Bazaar.
In Sahiwal and Okara, a partial strike was observed, while in Gujrat a complete strike was observed.
In Okara, 10 activists of the Afghan Defence Council were arrested in a midnight operation. Despite Sunday’s being the official weekly holiday, the business community of this part of the province observed Friday as the weekly off from the work.
Therefore, assessing traders response to the strike call on Friday was rather difficult. Only those markets and shops remained closed which on normal Fridays observe holiday.
MULTAN, Nov 9: A partial strike was observed in most parts of the Punjab on the call of the Pakistan and Afghanistan Defence Council on Friday in protest against US attacks on Afghanistan.
