May 05, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 17, 1428

JHELUM, May 4: Arrests of the political workers throughout Jhelum district continued on Friday to thwart receptions for Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry during his journey to Lahore where he is scheduled to address the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Saturday.

According to the sources, at least 14 workers of PPP, PML-N, MMA and other parties were apprehended by the police in the district while 36 others were released after they were forced to submit surety bonds that they would not participate in the processions being brought out to express solidarity with the CJP Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

These sources confirmed that district naib ameer of MMA Zafar Mahmood Dar, Jhelum district vice president of PPP Malik Abdul Azeez (75-year-old) resident of PD Khan, Raja Najabat, Abdullah Aasim and Ejaz of PML(N), Qazi Umair Khawaja, Shafiq Ahmed and Raja Shafqat of PPP; Syed Sakhawat Hussain Shah advocate, the president of PPP of his constituency (PP27); Syed Mohsan Zaidi (MMA); Tehsil president PPP, Sohawa, Syed Badar Mustafa Bokhari; Mirza Abdul Ghafar, PPP Sohawa and many others have been arrested by the police of their areas.

Meanwhile the lawyers of the district Jhelum expressed their resolve that they would give warm welcome to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at Kala Gujaran More near Jhelum in a befitting manner.

PPP LEADER IN JHELUM: PPP Punjab general secretary Ch Ghulam Abbas and Mian Hanif Tahir president People’s Lawyers Forum Punjab visited Jhelum city on Friday afternoon and addressed the lawyers of the party at the district secretariat of PPP.

During their address the leaders said that the rulers were responsible for the constitutional and political crisis in the country.

Ch Ghulam Abbas said that a president in military uniform subjected the chief justice of Pakistan to contemptuous treatment.

The PPP leader condemned the arrests of the political activists of the opposition parties. He said that the government was spoiling the political scenario by arresting and baton charging the political workers.

PPI ADDS: Local Police on Friday arrested the Naib Amir Jamaat-i-Islami Rawalpindi Syed Aziz Hamid soon after he came out of the Mosque after offering Juma prayers.

He was arrested from the area of Dheri Hassan Abad and has been kept in the Civil Lines Police Station. The reason for his arrest is still not known.

Meanwhile, the local leadership of Jamaat-i-Islami condemned the arrest of the Naib Amir and linked it with the current struggle for the independence of judiciary.