February 26, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 27, 1427

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

LAHORE, Feb 25: Various political and religious parties have announced their support for Sunday’s rally to be taken out from Nasser Bagh up to the Regal Chowk on The Mall.

The Qaumi Majlis Mushawarat, the organizers of the rally, says that they have made special arrangements to keep the rally peaceful.

“A strategy has been devised to keep an eye on anti-social elements during the protest,” say MMA and Jamaatud Daawa leaders.

No participants will be allowed to damage the property of their own brethren, they say.

PML-N patron and exiled former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif phoned MMA president Qazi Husain Ahmad on Saturday and assured him all-out support of his party.

During their 40-minute talk, both the leaders also agreed to continuing their contacts in this regard.

Daawa political affairs coordinator Khalid Waleed says party office-bearers at tehsil level have been directed to ensure full participation of workers in the rally with instructions to keep a vigil on anti-social elements.

A Tehrik-i-Insaaf procession led by Imran Khan will also join the protesters on The Mall.

Punjab JUP secretary-general Qari Zawwar Bahadur says all their activists will march up to the Nasser Bagh on Sunday morning in processions.

He says they are ready to take responsibility for maintaining peace during the protest as not even a single traffic signal will be damaged by the protesters.

A brigade of the Khaksar Tehrik will also join the rally.

Meanwhile, police and the Rangers have laid a siege to Mansoora, the headquarters of the Jamaat-i-Islami the main force behind the protest in the city. They have placed containers before the gates to block exit of anyone from it, especially Qazi Husain who has earlier refused to receive his house arrest orders.

As a precautionary measure Jamaat officials have released water into the grounds of the capacious Mansoora to minimize effects of teargas if the government resorts to shelling.

MMA leaders have also directed participants in the rally to bring with them water, salt, handkerchief and other things to counter teargas.

Meanhwile, Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s entry to the city has been banned.