17 February 2004	Tuesday	25 Zilhaj 1424

GUJRANWALA, Feb 16: The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) continued its protest against the government on the fourth consecutive day on Monday and demanded that Ms Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to come back.

The PPP activists set up a protest camp outside the district courts which was attended by MNA Nahid Khan, former central general secretary Ahmad Mukhtar, Khalid Kharal and Abdul Qadir Shaheen and others.

They claimed that the prime minister and his cabinet were dummies while the government was being run with the help of remote control. They criticized the government on debriefing of nuclear scientists and said it was being done to please America. They threatened that the protest would continue indefinitely if their demands were not met.

They demanded release of Asif Ali Zardari, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi and other political leaders detained on flimsy charges.

FAISALABAD: The protest camp set up by the local PPP leaders on the call given by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy continued for the fourth consecutive day on Monday.

The protest camp set up at the Millat Chowk, Gulistan Colony, was attended by divisional PPP coordinator MPA Raja Riaz Ahmad, district president Farooq Saeed Khan, city president Mahmoodul Hasan Dar, MPAs Asghar Ali Qaisar, Faiz Kamoka, Dr Asad Moazzam and Jehanzeb Imtiaz Gill.

The protesters wearing black arm bands also observed token hunger strike against the government and demanded immediate withdrawal of cases registered against political leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, the PPP leaders alleged that the government had launched a campaign against former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif fearing increase in their popularity.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The week-long protest campaign is getting attention of common people as the number of participants increased considerably at the camp set up by the PPP.

The camp at Seraiki Chowk was abuzz with the workers of the PPP and the PML-N who raised slogans against the government. National Assembly former speaker Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani will visit the camp on Tuesday.

MIANWALI: The PPP and the PML-N protest camp was set up on the premises of District Press Club here.

In their speeches, the leaders of both the parties condemned the government for humiliating nuclear scientists, roll back of nuclear programme at the behest of the US, law and order and unemployment in the country.

The claimed that the object of the strike was to remove Gen Musharraf and mobilize public opinion against the government which had put the integrity and solidarity of the country at stake.

District PPP president Inayatullah Awan vowed that the struggle would continue till the restoration of democracy and supremacy of parliament. Those who attended the camp on the fourth day on Monday included Khalid Saeed, Khalilur Rehman, Muhammad Khan Shaheen and Pirzada Abdur Razzaq. They condemned the government for victimizing political workers.

SHEIKHUPURA: A large number of PPP and PML-N workers attended the protest camp set up on the call given by the ARD against the policies of the government on the fourth day on Monday.

The protesters pledged to continue their strike till the acceptance of their demand. They urged the government to stop humiliating nuclear scientists who created balance of power in the region as India had gone nuclear in 1974.

OKARA: PPP federal council member and MPA Samiullah Khan visited the peoples party set up at the residence of district PPP president and MPA Ashraf Khan Sohna.

The PPP leaders claimed that the MMA was promoting the government agenda and criticizing the ARD. They said it was the duty of political leadership to inform masses about the anti-people policies of the government and save the country. The PPP was doing its job by organizing the camp against the government, they added.

SIALKOT: PML-N MNA Khwaja Asif, MPA Engineer Imran Ashraf, district president Idrees Ahmad Bajwa, ex-MPA Manshaullah Butt, PPP federal council member Aslam Lone, divisional president MNA Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, MPA Malik Tahir Akhtar, ex-provincial minister Mushtaq Awan, Farooq Shafi Mughal, Chaudhry Irshad Sahi (Daska), district PPP women wing president begum Akram Hayat and Malik Naseer Akhtar and Yusaf Khilji attended the camp.

Speaking to the protesters, they strongly criticized the government for humiliating nuclear scientists.

LAYYAH: The ARD continued its anti-government protest on the third successive day here on Sunday.

Those who attended the protest camp set up on the Choubara Road included district PPP president Abdul Majeed Bhutta, district PML-N president Abdul Majeed Javed, MPA Maher Ijaz Ahmad Achlana, District Bar Association general secretary Malik Abdul Rashid Bodla, tehsil PML-N president Aslam Khan, district PPP women wing president Syeda Irshad Begum, Abdul Rahman Mani, ex-MPA Iqbal Ahmad Bhukhari and Babar Khan Khetran.

People from a cross section of society visited the camp and expressed their support to the ARD in its struggle against he government and for the restoration of democracy.

Banners in favour of ARD's demands regarding end to poverty, unemployment and humiliation of nuclear scientists and release of Asif Ali Zardari and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi were displayed at the camp.