May 15, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1428

FAISALABAD, May 14: On the call of opposition parties and business leaders, traders in Punjab shut their businesses in most of the towns while lawyers stayed away from court proceedings on Monday to register their protest against killings in Karachi.

All markets around the Clock Tower area in Faisalabad, including Kutchery Bazaar, Rail Bazaar, Karkhana Bazaar, Montgomery Bazaar, Jhang Bazaar, Bhawana Bazaar, Aminpur Bazaar and Chiniot Bazaar remained closed throughout the day. Traders in other parts of the district also pulled their shutters down.

All main roads in the district wore a deserted look while attendance in government offices was also thin. Fearing public wrath, most of transporters drove their vehicles off roads.

Heavy police force was deployed in the district to maintain law and order. Special police squads guarded the building housing offices of the MQM and multi-national companies outside the Dhobi Ghat ground.

Meanwhile, the district bar association took out a procession that passed through the Kutchery Bazaar, Clock Tower intersection, Aminpur Bazaar, Kotwali Road and terminated at the DBA offices.

A rally of MMA workers also tried to join the lawyers, but they were disallowed.

Carrying banners and placards, lawyers chanted slogans against the government, President Pervez Musharraf, the MQM and the Chaudhrys. They also burnt an effigy of the MQM chief.

MULTAN: Lawyers, who stayed away from court proceedings, termed Karachi killings a conspiracy by the government to foil their movement.

They also took out a rally from the barroom to the Kutchery Road. The business strike in the city was partial.

Addressing lawyers, former Punjab governor Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar requested the PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif to return to rid the country out of crisis.

Lawyers also funeral prayers for the people killed in Karachi.

The High Court Bar Association also observed a complete strike and held a demonstration.

It also passed resolutions demanding of the government to declare the MQM a `terrorist party’ and ban the entry of its leadership to the bar. It also condemned the killing of an additional registrar of the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

GUJRANWALA: Traders kept their shutters down throughout the day in the city.

Almost all main markets, including cloth market, Rail Bazaar, Kharadanwala Bazaar, Sarrafa Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Sindnagari Bazaar, Khand Bazaar, Daal Bazaar, Bhaberianwal Bazaar, Kasaira Bazaar, Arianwala Bazaar, Circular Road, Trust Plaza, Gondlanwala Road, Nomania Road, Muslim Road, College Road, Hafizabad Road, Thaker Singh Bazaar, Garjakhi Bazaar, Tower Chowk, Khiali Gate, Sialkoti Gate, Sheranwala Bazaar, Timber Market, Alipur Road, Model Town, Satellite Town, Peoples Colony and Farid Town remained closed.

Similarly, traders in Wazirabad, Ghakkhar, Rahwali, Aimanabad, Kamoki, Qila Dedar Singh, Alipur Chattha and Naushera Virkan also observed a complete shutter down.

Only tea stalls, medical stores and grocery shops in streets were seen doing business. While GT Road remained busy with all type of traffic. Police were deployed in force in all markets to avoid any untoward incident.

The district bar association boycotted court proceedings and rallied in protest.

Protesting lawyers demanded that an FIR should be registered against President Pervez Musharraf and the Sindh government.

Lawyers paraded on Sialkot Road, Kutchery Road and GT Road, and then burnt effigies of the president and MQM leader on Gondlanwala Chowk.

Speaking on the occasion, bar president Ilyas Rehan and other lawyers ripped to shreds Gen Musharraf for patronizing the MQM which unleashed violence in Karachi. They screamed slogans against the government and the MQM.

They said a delegation of lawyers would go to Sahiwal on May 17 to express solidarity with their colleagues there.

BAHAWALPUR: Lawyers and shopkeepers expressed solidarity with bereaved families of the victims by suspending their activities here on Monday.

The district and high court bars after their general bodies meetings, held protest rallies. The district bar rally, led by president Yahya Khan, marched from bar room to Farid Gate. The high court bar procession, led by its chief Saeed Ijaz, was taken out from Fowara Chowk to Farid Gate. The opposition parties’ rally joined the district bar’s procession at Kashmir Park. Funeral prayers in absentia were offered at Farid Gate. The district bar members also staged a sit-in at GPO Chowk, disrupting traffic. A large police contingent had been deployed at Farid Gate to avert any untoward incident.

So far as traders were concerned, there was a complete strike on Circular Road under the aegis of Anjuman-i-Tajran. Big markets, plazas and shopping centres remained closed throughout the day. However, shopkeepers in Walled City observed a partial strike.

OKARA: The business community struck throughout the day while lawyers and political parties, including the PPP, the PML-N, the JI and the Sunni Tehrik, took out rallies in Deepalpur, Basirpur, Haveli Lakkha and Renala Khurd.

Lawyers also did not appear before courts the whole day. Hundreds of people offered `fateha’ for the victims of Karachi violence. They also took out a rally of cars and motorcycles that took a round of Sahiwal Road and Deepalpur Road. DBA president Malik Maqbool Hussain Shakir, secretary Sagheer Ahmed Harni and Punjab Bar Council member Mehmoodur Rehman Lashari led the rally.

Lawyers also chanted slogans against the government and the MQM.

Another rally, led by district PPP president and MPA Muhammad Ashraf Khan Sohna, district MMA president Dr Liaquat Ali Kausar, district JI amir Shaikh Azher Mehmood, Sunni Tehrik’s Asghar Sohail Qadri and PML-N’s Mian Muhammad Munir, demanded the registration of a murder case against the MQM leadership.

SAHIWAL: Traders and lawyers observed a complete strike in Harappa, Noorshah, Kassowal, Iqbalnagar, Kamir, Yusafwala, Qadirabad, Gamber, Ghaziabad, Chichawatni and Sahiwal.

Leaders and workers of the MMA and the ARD took out a rally in Sahiwal which ended peacefully after passing through various city roads.

The district bar association also staged a rally under the leadership of bar president Sheikh Usman.

SARGODHA: Lawyers and traders observed a complete strike on Monday and expressed their anguish over the alleged highhandedness of MQM.

Lawyers held a rally which paraded various roads under the leadership of DBA President Malik Afzal Farooka and Secretary-General Malik Nasrullah Awan.

Police did not intervene when some people forced shopkeepers to put their shutters down.

A police officer requesting anonymity told this correspondent that the police had recently settled their matters with lawyers and they could not afford any provocation.

Some shopkeepers who were forcing various traders to observe complete strike, showered petals on lawyers’ procession.

A small number of MMA leaders, headed by Dr Arshad Shahid, also welcomed the lawyers who asked them not to join them.

SHEIKHUPURA: A complete shutterdown was observed in Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib districts.

Lawyers also boycotted the courts while traffic remained thin. People in general and patients in particular had to face a great deal of inconvenience owing to traders strike.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Lawyers set on fire effigies of Gen Musharraf, the Punjab chief minister and Altaf Husain here on Monday during a rally.

On the other hand, traders ignored the strike call and continued business activities throughout the day.

The protesting lawyers demanded registration of a murder case against Gen Musharraf, the Sindh governor and chief minister and Altaf Husain.

The protest rally marched along main markets of the city.

MIANWALI: Lawyers observed a complete and traders partial strike in the district.

Lawyers offered funeral prayers in absentia at the lawns of district courts.

Later, they took out a procession and marched along Kutchery Road, different bazaars and assembled at Railway Chowk in the centre of the city.

Political workers were not seen in the procession.

On the other hand, traders observed a partial shutterdown in district while business activities remained normal in Mianwali city.

VEHARI: Bars of Vehari, Mailsi and Burewala boycotted courts on Monday.

Vehari lawyers had set up a four-hour hunger strike camp at the local courts where bar president Rana Sajid said that their struggle for the independence of the judiciary would continue.

Traders observed a partial strike in Vehari and other adjoining areas. Journalists of Vehari press club took out a protest procession against the attack on AaJ TV.

In Burewala, PPP, MMA, PML-N and other opposition parties took out a rally and raised slogans against the government and the MQM. They said that their struggle would continue till the resignation of President Musharraf.

SIALKOT: Lawyers in Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur, Shakargarh and Narowal observed a complete strike on Monday while traders continued their routine business activities.

Lawyers holding banners and placards took out rallies and chanted anti-government slogans.

They also unanimously passed various condemnation resolutions and demanded action against killers.

Shops, markets, bazaars and shopping plazas remained open in Sialkot, Daska, Bhopalwala, Begowala, Sambrial, Uggoki-Bajwat, Pasrur, Satrah, Chawinda, Badiana, Shakargarh, Zafarwal, Baddo Malhi, Noorkot, Narowal and its surrounding areas.

Sialkot District Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema told newsmen that people had ignored the strike call given by the opposition parties.

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: All markets and bazaars remained closed in the entire district while lawyers also boycotted the court proceedings.

At a DBA meeting, bar president Muzaffar Iqbal, PML lawyers forum president Muhammad Inayat Gondal and former MPA Ameenullah Luk held the rulers responsible for the bloodshed in Karachi.

SADIQABAD: All the business centres, the grain market and medical stores remained closed in Sadiqabad.

Opposition parties took out a rally from Court Chowk which passed through the Press Club, Rail Bazaar, Old Factory Road and Tehsil Road.

PML-N MPA Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq, secretary-general Hafiz Abdul Razzaq and MMA’s Maulana Mushtaq Ahmed were among the prominent leaders.