February 18, 2006	Saturday	Muharram 19, 1427

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FAISALABAD, Feb 17: Scores of people were arrested in parts of Punjab on Friday as police acted to avert violence during protests against publication of blasphemous cartoons.

The Faisalabad police arrested 51 activists and leaders of political and religious parties to stop them from taking out rallies against the issue.

Special police teams conducted raids at the houses and offices of a number of religious and political leaders and rounded 51 of them belonging to the PPP, the PML-N and other organizations.

Those arrested included PPP leader Raja Safdar, former city Mayor, Abdul Haq, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Akram, Abdul Hafeez, Mirajdin, Rana Mushtaq Ahmad, Bao Afzal, PML-N union council nazim Mian Abdul Rasheed, Shahzad Alam and Zulfiqar Inayat.

The police and Rangers have been deployed in all city areas, especially on routes leading to the district council premises. PPP divisional coordinator Raja Riaz Ahmad (MPA) and district president Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, along with a dozen activists, were stopped on the Jail Road and forced to go back.

The police also baton-charged some workers of the Jamaat Dawat Pakistan when they raised slogans at the Katchery Intersection on their way to attend an Azmat-i-Rasool Conference. The guys were shifted to the Police Lines from where they were freed after about four hours.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat Dawat Pakistan held the conference at the district council lawns, which was attended by hundreds of religious activists belonging to various parts of the district. Police patrol squads intercepted a number of processions in various parts of the district.

DPO Muhammad Amin Wains confirmed that the arrests were made by the police to stop them from bringing a protest rally as the provincial government had imposed a strict ban on the demonstrations and rallies. The arrested persons would, however, be freed in the late hours and none would be allowed to create law and order problem for the citizens.

SHEIKHUPURA: As many as 44 people were rounded up in Mandi Faizabad for taking out procession.

Hundreds of people, mostly activists of religio-political outfits, started gathering on the main Jaranwala Road after Friday prayers. Marching through various parts, some of the protesters pelted vehicles with stones smashing their window panes.

They also ransacked some offices and the police stirred into action and caught 44 people. The Mandi Faizabad police station instituted a case against them.

SARGODHA: In Sargodha, the police registered a case against 200 people under the Anti-Terrorism Act and arrested three dozen of them for trying to create law and order situation.

The police said they were trying to pelt them with stones and made them baton-charge.

A shutter-down strike was observed on the second consecutive day and all banks and educational institutions also remained closed.

The ulema during Friday sermons took exception to the blasphemy and urged the Muslims to forge unity instead of indulginbg in confrontation.

Meanwhile, the District Bar Association announced strike on Monday. DPO Mubarik Ahmad said the students arrested the other day for rioting had been released.

The district nazinm has imposed section 144 CrPC, according to a press release. He also banned the use of amplifier and loudspeaker, except for Azan and Khutba.

MULTAN: The police rounded up several activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami’s youth wing — the Shabab-i-Milli Pakistan — for organizing a rally.

The Lohari Gate police had also registered a case against some 35 protestors under sections 148/149 PPC, MPO-16 and 7-ATA. Among the arrested protesters were Shahzada Babar Maan, Jafar Iqbal, Abdul Ghaffar Farooqi, Akbar Ali, Abdul Rehman, Mehran Ali, Ihsan Elahi, Muhammad Ashraf and Liaquat Ali.

Scores of SMP workers carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against some European countries had gathered at the Aam Khas Bagh and later marched towards the busy Husain Agahi Bazar.

At Ali Chowk, a police contingent asked the protestors to halt their march. However, the protestors did not comply with the orders and kept on parading towards the main market area of the city. At this, the police started arresting the protesters, who also did not show any resistance while being bundled in the police vans.

The SMP leaders claimed that the police had arrested more than 100 activists while the police authorities were contradicting the claim. According to them, only 35 protesters were in custody.