February 19, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 20, 1427

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LAHORE, Feb 18: The government is continuing hunt for opposition leaders all over the province active in anti-cartoons protest as the MMA vows to hold a rally in Islamabad on Feb 19 (today) despite a ban imposed by the district magistrate.

In this connection, around two dozen people were taken into custody from Lahore on Saturday, including PML-N leader Advocate Naseer Bhutta.

Criticising the ban on holding rallies in Islamabad, MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad announced that the rally in the federal capital would be held as per schedule despite all the restrictions put by the government.

Talking to reporters here, he warned the authorities of a ‘tough response’ if they tried to bar the workers from holding the protest rally.

“Rallies will be taken out from every street and lane of Islamabad if peaceful workers and caravans are prevented from reaching the capital on Sunday.”

Qazi Husain, who is also Jamaat-i-Islami amir, condemned the police raid and seizing of party’s Islamabad office, besides arrests of scores of workers “to disrupt the Shan-i-Mustafa rally”.

The government had earlier allowed holding of a public meeting at the Zero Point, but the permission was withdrawn on Saturday as the Rangers were called out to take over Jamaat’s office. Many activists, including MNA Mian Aslam, were taken into custody.

Believing that the arrests were being made to deter the masses from attending the protest march in large numbers, Qazi Husain, however, vowed that the religious alliance would go on with the protest plan on cartoons issue at all costs until the government severed diplomatic ties with offending countries.

He warned if the government arrested the leadership, the entire responsibility of any untoward outcome would rest on its shoulders.

Police authorities would not give details of the arrests made in Lahore where a siege has also been laid to Jamaat-i-Islami headquarters at Mansoorah.

Officials say it is unlikely that Qazi Husain, present at Mansoorah, will be allowed to leave the premises for Islamabad. Denouncing arrests, Jamaatud Daawa leaders Hafiz Abdur Rahman Makki and Maulana Amir Hamza asked the rulers to be patient as the masses were already enraged at the mild government protest with Denmark and other offending countries.

Alleging that the rulers were trying to please Europe and the US by torturing ‘peaceful protesters’, they warned that people should be allowed to vent out their pent-up anger otherwise the situation could worsen.

Meanwhile, after PML-N leader Naseer Bhutta’s arrest from his Model Town residence, police have been deployed at Shahbaz Sharif secretariat near Shah Alim Chowk.