March, 31 2005	Thursday	20 Safar 1426

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LAHORE, March 30: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and the Punjab government are trying their best to seek traders’ ‘cooperation’ for April 2 to meet their own ends which happen to be quite opposite.

From the government side, District Nazim Amer Mehmood held a meeting with the representatives of as many as 200 traders bodies, where mutual assurances for ‘cooperation’ were exchanged, while Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, speaking on the Punjab Assembly premises and then at the 7-Club Road, also tried to allay traders’ apprehensions regarding disruption of business activities on April 2. On the other hand MMA leaders also remained busy in convincing the traders to go on strike.

The government will fulfil its duty if traders complain that they are being forced to close their business, the chief minister said while talking to reporters on the Punjab Assembly premises. Answering questions about the wheel-jam and shutdown call given by the MMA for April 2, he said the government would provide protection to the trading community if they complained that any political elements were trying to disrupt business activities.

Mr Elahi claimed that traders were against the strike as they knew that this was not in the national interest. He also disputed the MMA’s claims about its ‘million march’, terming it a failure.

To a question, he said that there was ban on taking out processions across the province.

Asked if the PPP had formally sought permission to receive its leader Asif Zardari on his return from Dubai on April 16, the chief minister said the issue of allowing any procession was in the purview of district governments.

About government’s talks with the PPP, he said it was part of the democratic process, and claimed he was unaware of the terms of the said talks.

Answering a question about the ban on recruitment in the province, he said it would be lifted within three months.slug: strike

Meanwhile, the traders’ representatives who met the district Nazim at his residence on Wednesday night and assured him that the they would keep their shops open on April 2 and would not pay heed to the MMA’s strike call.

Office-bearers of the traders associations of various markets, bazars and shopping plazas in the city said that the traders had nothing to do with the politics of agitation and wanted to continue their business activities peacefully. They said that the government should provide protection to the traders by posting police in markets and bazars on April 2 to bar the supporters of strike from compelling them to close their shops.

The Nazim assured the traders that the city district government would make best possible arrangements for their security. He said that nobody would be allowed to compel any trader to close his shop and all those found trying to do so would be arrested.

MMA EFFORTS: MMA leaders visited Various markets in the city and distributed handbills among traders, besides holding meetings with their representatives for seeking their support for the shutdown strike.

Punjab MMA chief Liaqat Baloch toured Shah Alam and Rang Mahal markets and called on office-bearers of their associations.

MNAs Farid Piracha, Salman Butt and Amirul Azeem visited Panorama, Bedon Road, Hall Road, Anarkali, Gunpat Road, Urdu Bazaar and Medicines Market. Traders’ leaders, Zahid Butt, Asif Mahmood, Shamim Malik, and Shafiq Ahmad, announced their support for the strike, a press release of the MMA claimed.