May 30, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 13, 1428

LAHORE, May 29: Explaining what the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) meant by the movement for civil disobedience, MMA President Qazi Husain Ahmad has said the alliance will issue a call for march on Islamabad to paralyse the administrative life of the country if Gen Pervez Musharraf takes extra-constitutional measures to perpetuate in power.

Speaking at several roadside rallies during the MMA’s road caravan on Tuesday, the Qazi said the refusal to cease military uniform would also mean a measure beyond the constitutional mandate.

He said the MMA would, as and when the occasion arose, would issue a clarion call on the people to reach the federal capital and stay there till the regime stepped down paving the way for a democratic set-up in the country.

With Tuesday night’s rally, the first phase of the road caravan, named as ‘Journey to Democracy’ came to an end. The MMA says another caravan will be organised in south Punjab next month.

The caravan that the MMA started for Lahore from Faisalabad at around 10am in the company of hundreds of slogan-chanting and charged workers who not only gave them a tumultuous send-off but some of them also rode with their leaders to several kilometres outside Faisalabad’s limits.

Top MMA leaders, including Qazi Husain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Sahibzada Shah Mohammad Ans Noorani, Maulana Abdur Rahim Naqshbandi and Maulana Abdul Jalil Naqvi, were riding a truck fitted with the public address system.

The caravan had the first stop-over in Jaranwala and reached Tandlianwala where the leaders addressed a rally. By 5:30pm the caravan reached Okara where MMA leaders also addressed a gathering. They also spoke briefly in Pattoki.

The caravan made its way to Lahore via Habibabad, Manga Mandi, Chuhng and Thokar Niaz Baig on Multan Road before the leaders spoke at another rally outside the Jamaat-i-Islami headquarters in Mansoora where a large number of people had gathered. From there the caravan proceeded and was received at Chowk Yatim Khana, Samanabad Morr and Chowk Chauburji before reaching the venue for the concluding address to a big rally at Bhati Gate.

The first phase of the caravan began from Rawalpindi on May 27 and arrived in Gujranwala. It resumed the journey to Faisalabad on Monday and terminated the first phase in Lahore on Tuesday night.