March 5, 2006	Sunday	Safar 4, 1427

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LAHORE, March 4: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and Tehrik-i-Insaf observed black day on Saturday against the arrival of US President George W.Bush in the country.

Black flags were flown on offices of the religious parties and their workers wore black arm bands. The Tehrik-i-Insaf staged a demonstration at Minar-i-Pakistan.

Addressing workers at the Mansoora Jamia Mosque after Zuhr prayers, MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmed said the nuclear cooperation agreement signed by the US president with India was a proof of his double standards. He was opposing the peaceful nuclear programme of Iran and threatening it on the one hand and offering nuclear facilities to India on the other.

He said the South Asian tour of Mr Bush had made it clear that India was the strategic partner of his country in the region. He wanted to make India the regional superpower.

He also wanted to use India to cordon off China.

Referring to the request made by President Musharraf to Mr Bush for assistance on Kashmir issue, Qazi Husain said he would never try to resolve the issue in accordance with the principles of justice and try to hand over Kashmir to India instead.

Referring to the declaration of Pakistan an important ally in the war against terror and offering assistance in education sector by President Bush, he said the US wanted introduction of a secular education system in the country which should be devoid of Quarnic verses pertaining to ‘Jehad.’ Examples of cooperation in the terror war were being seen in Wana, Waziristan and Bajaur.

He said the Muslim Ummah was perturbed over the publication of blasphemous cartoons, but the military rulers of Pakistan were engaging the nation in the ‘murderous’ sport of Basant.

He said the support of Gen Musharraf’s concept of democracy by the US president was in fact a signal for placing Pakistan under permanent military rule.

JUP: Party workers staged a demonstration against the visit of US president outside Jamia Farooqia Rizvia and police rounded up 19 of them.

Condemning the arrest of workers, JUP leaders K.M.Azhar, Pir Ijaz Hashmi and Qari Zawar Bahadar said the US president gave no importance to Pakistan. He was here only to pressurise the government to stop supporting Iran and bargain on Kashmir issue. They said Mr Bush had come to the region only for visiting India and Pakistan was only his stopover.

The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf workers staged a demonstration at the Minar-i-Pakistan and protested against the support of dictatorship by the US president.

Addressing a press conference later on, Tehrik Secretary-General Shahid Zulfiqar and provincial leader Tariq Farooq Mirza demanded immediate release of party chairman Imran Khan and provincial president Javed Iqbal.

They said the PTI would launch a movement against the government if it did not release the arrested leaders immediately.