02 March 2004	Tuesday	10 Muharram 1425

KARACHI, March 1: Copies of newspapers were burnt on Monday morning by unidentified people at various places in the city. The reports of burning the newspapers were received from New Chali , Purani Numaish, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Saddar, Hussainabad, and Water Pump in Federal B Area, the Hawkers Association said.

A representative of the association said that the miscreants ransacked the newspaper stalls at Hussainabad and burnt all the copies. A senior representative of the association, who asked not to be named, said: "Some miscreants converged at some spots, snatched the copies of newspapers and set them on fire."

"We have not lodged the complaint with the police", he added. DIG (Operations) Tariq Jamil said: "No one has turned up to lodge a complaint with the police. However, the incidents at various places are in the knowledge of police."

He said the security would, however, be provided to the hawkers at their distribution points. The Karachi Press Club was attacked on Sunday evening by protesters belonging to Shia community. They were staging protests against a TV channel for hurting the sentiments of Shiites.

They had beaten up the watchman Rafiq of the club and damaged its reception counter. The police had reached the spot after the incident and failed to make arrests in this respect.

Rafiq was taken to Civil Hospital, where he was examined by a medico-legal officer and provided with medical treatment. The MLO reserved the medical report and said the injuries were serious in nature.