KARACHI, April 18: Hundreds of book-lovers using public transport or two-wheelers were turned away from the Sunday book bazaar as law-enforcement agencies tightened security on the roads leading to the 19th century Frere Hall.

Booksellers complained that the number of visitors had dropped to such an extent that they were finding it difficult to break even. They recalled that the former corps commander of Karachi, Lt-Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi, ensured that the Sunday book bazaar continued to operate unhindered.

"We are fast losing heart. The government cannot seem to make up its mind whether it wants the book bazaar to continue or not. Book lovers using public transport and motorcycles are not allowed to come here.

They are the ones who are interested in second-hand books because new arrivals are mostly prohibitively expensive," said Mohammad Haroon, who is one of the seniormost booksellers at the Sunday bazaar.

Policemen posted on Fatima Jinnah Road and Abdullah Haroon Road said they were under orders not to allow public transport and motorcycles to pass by the US consulate and the residence of the US consul-general. The Sindh government closed the Sunday book bazaar on Aug 24, 2003 at the request of the US consul-general. However, the Karachi Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, reopened the bazaar after a gap of two weeks.

Another seasoned bookseller of the Sunday bazaar, S.M. Khalil, said that booksellers would do their utmost to run the bazaar as long as they could. "Last week, police did not even let people walk to the Frere Hall.

Sometimes booksellers are not allowed to transport their wares to the lawns of the Frere Hall. The government should let the bazaar operate smoothly, for people come here not only to purchase books but they also take part in literary gatherings and compare notes about books and magazines," he said.