June 28, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1428

GUJRANWALA, June 27: The city district government refused to allow the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians to organise a public meeting at the Sheranwala Bagh on Friday (tomorrow) at 4pm while party leaders vowed on Wednesday to hold the meeting at the venue.

Sources said city police officer DIG (operation) Khadim Hussain Bhatti had sent a report to high-ups that law and order situation could be created due to the PPP meeting. The district administration also refused to give permission to PPP leadership for holding the public meeting.

PPP divisional president MNA Chaudhry Imtiaz Safder Warraich claimed that Punjab home secretary gave the party permission for holding the public meeting at the venue and vowed that it would be held there at any cost.

He said the district administration and police would be responsible for any untoward incident if they tried to disrupt the meeting. He said the meeting was significant as the party chairperson Benazir Bhutto was scheduled to address it telephonically.

Mr Warraich, however, could not produce any written permission issued by the home secretary in this regard.

AFGHANS: Police and district administration are looking for about 2,500 Afghans who failed to register themselves under the government policy, it is learnt here on Wednesday.

Sources said quoting official data that about 7,290 Afghans were residing in the district, of which 2,134 had been repatriated to Afghanistan after a census.

They said the remaining Afghans, who were registered with the government, went under ground to avoid repatriation.

They said it was suspected that Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks and other terrorist activities.

STRIKE: Traders observed a shutterdown strike against awarding knighthood to Salman Rushdie and took out a rally.

The procession, led by Markazi Anjuman Tajran president Dr Mahmood Ahmed, started from Tower Chowk and terminated at Old City railway station.

About 150 trade organisations participated in the procession while Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leaders Maulana Riaz Swati, Maulana Abdul Malik Shah, Maulana Ghulam Kiberia, Maulana Muhammad Azam and activists of Jamaat-i-Islami and Shabab-i-Milli also joined traders. However, almost all cloth markets remained opened. The protesters were chanting slogans against the British government and Salman Rushdie.

They demanded the government sever relations with the UK till the withdrawal of knighthood.