16 April 2005	Saturday	06 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

SUKKUR, April 15: Heavy contingents of Rangers and police closed the Sindh-Punjab border by parking four armoured personnel carriers and 10 tractors on Friday to stop caravans of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians from reaching Lahore to welcome party leader Asif Ali Zardari.

Sources said even public transport buses, trucks and trawlers were not allowed to cross the border. As a result thousands of vehicles were stranded at Kot Sabzal, Kamoo Shaheed and Ubauro towns near the border.

All the trains booked for Lahore by the PPP workers have already been cancelled by the railways authorities who told the PPP leaders that the railways had decided to refund their booking amount in full.

They said the booked bogies could not be attached with trains due to some technical causes.

Sources said a caravan of 250 vehicles when reached Ubauro about 1,000 policemen, led by Ghotki DPO Agha Tahir and DPO Rahim Yar Khan Pir Mohammad Shah, arranged the blockade with help of four APCs, ten tractors and iron folding gates and a chain of policemen was also formed.

The enraged workers pelted police with stones and staged a sit-in on the road and threatened that they would continue their protest till they were allowed to move in Punjab.

The protestors led by PPP Sukkur president Jam Saifullah Dharejo and more than 25 MNAs and MPAs including MNA Khursheed Shah, Manzoor Wassan, MPA Nawab Wassan, Dr Fida Hussain Mirani, Mir Aijaz Jakhrani and others staged a sit-in at Kamoo Shaheed.

Hundreds of passenger buses, coaches and wagons coming from upcountry on way to Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur were stranded on the Sindh-Punjab border from 10:00am and till filing the report.

Talking to Dawn on telephone, member central executive committee of PPP Islamuddin Shaikh, MNA Syed Khursheed Shah and Manzoor Wassan condemned the negative attitude of the government for stopping the peaceful caravans.

They said they were in constant touch with central leaders including Makhdoom Amin Fahim who are in Lahore and would act as directed by our central command.

HYDERABAD: Police on Friday returned a motorcade of over 50 buses carrying People’s Party Parliamentarians workers from Badin to Lahore near Baran on the boundary of Tando Mohammed Khan-Badin districts on Friday.

A caravan of 50 buses including five buses carrying women activists started from Badin at 8am on Friday under the leadership of Badin District Nazim Kamal Khan Chang.

When the caravan reached Baran, a heavy contingent of police stopped it and forced the activists to return to Badin.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club in the evening, women activists of the PPP condemned police action.

They said no less than 100 police mobiles had stopped their caravan near Baran and forced vehicles to return to Badin.

PPP Parliamentarians MNA Nawab Abdul Ghani Talpur condemned the promulgation of section 144 CrPC in Punjab to prevent the party activists from giving a rousing reception to Asif Ali Zardari.

Nawab Talpur said a large number of party workers from Jamshoro district who were on their way to Lahore to welcome Mr Zardari had been arrested and are being held incommunicado.

NAWABSHAH: Activists of the PPP faced difficulties in travelling Lahore as buses and coaches cancelled their booking.

The information secretary of the PPP Nawabshah, Rashid Chandio, said initially booking of 12 bogies of train was cancelled by railways authorities.

He said 60 buses and coaches booked for Lahore also cancelled their bookings as they were allegedly threatened of cancellation of their route permits by the government.

THATTA: The Shadman police Lahore and Obauro police arrested party activists while on their way to attend reception of Asif Ali Zardari on Friday.

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: Police in Naushahro Feroze impounded a bus carrying party activists from Mirpur Bathoro and maltreated them.

A group of party activists was diverted back from Hala.

He told Dawn on telephone that the government wants to strengthen ruling party PML-Q at the cost of democracy.

Several buses taking PPP activists from different villages left for Lahore.

DADU: Around 14 vehicles carrying PPP workers were stopped at different places in Dadu, Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar, Sehwan, Bhan Saeedabad and Phulji on Friday.

They said these buses were going to Lahore to welcome PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari but were stopped by the police.