LAHORE, Nov 30: The Punjab government on Thursday put more policemen in riot gear than the activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on the streets of the city to foil the plans of the alliance’s leaders of leading a procession to Gujrat to put pressure on the chief of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League to resign from the National Assembly.

Scuffles broke out between police and protesters as MMA parliamentarians Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, Farid Paracha, Liaquat Baloch and Ihsanullah Waqas were detained.

The protest involved a march from Lahore to Gujrat, the native town of PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, blamed by the MMA for amending the Hudood laws.

The Punjab government had on Wednesday banned processions, public meetings and rallies.

The MMA parliamentarians turned up at Chowburji Chowk riding a truck but police baton-charged the protesters and drove away the vehicle when the leaders refused to get off.

MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmad managed to show up in Gujranwala and address a public meeting.

He also succeeded in reaching Gujrat but was turned back by police.

Political analysts could not help reading too much into the absence of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, as speculation about a widening gulf between the pro-resignation Jamaat-i-Islami and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam gained ground.

But the MMA president insisted that Maulana Rahman had failed to reach Lahore because of police blockades.

“I am in touch with Maulana Fazlur Rahman,” Qazi Hussain told Dawn, adding that Thursday’s demonstration would be the beginning of an anti-government campaign.

Jamaat-i-Islami secretary-general Munawwar Hasan spoke to over 100 activists at the party’s Mansoora headquarters, which had been under police cordon since Wednesday night.

Mohammad Faisal Ali adds: The city police said they had detained at least 31 protesters, including six MMA leaders, for violating Section 144. MNAs Liaquat Baloch and Fareed Paracha, MPAs Ehsanullah Waqas and Shaukat Ali, Ameerul Azeem and Qari Zawar Bahadar were taken into custody with others from Mansoora area.

However, the six detained MMA leaders were released later in the day.