December 28, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 17, 1428

GUJRAT, Dec 27: The news of PPP chairperson’s assassination spread like a wild fire, letting hundreds of people break into tears and take to the street.

In the city of the PML-Q top notch, hundreds of PPP workers and other demonstrators braved a police assault launched allegedly on the directives of the Chaudhry brothers.

The police resorted to direct firing in a bid to disperse the demonstrators and two PPP workers were injured, who were later taken to the Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital.

PPP leaders Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gill, Mian Fakhar Mushtaq Pagganwala and Nasir Samman led the demonstrators on GT Road. The protesters blocked the city’s main artery and set fire to tyres and chanted full-throated slogans against President Pervez Musharraf, Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Pervaiz Elahi.

Soon after the tragic news reached the hometown of the PML-Q leaders, whom she had accused of conspiring attacks on her life, the city plunged into darkness and despair.

On the one hand, the government shut the electricity to keep the people ‘ignorant’ of happenings and, on the other hand, traders shut their shops to express solidarity with the PPP demonstrators and evade backlash. The city wore a deserted look in a short span.

The PPP demonstrators threw traffic out of gear on GT Road, Circular Road and at Fawarra Chowk and gathered at GTS Chowk in the heart of the city. They also destroyed public and private belongings, including government signboards and the PML-Q candidates’ hoardings and other electioneering installations.

When the police’s attempts to disperse the mob failed, they shot at them, injuring two of them critically. The firing added fuel to the fire and the mob became more violent. A large contingent of police, led by DPO Mahmoodul Hassan Qureshi, surrounded the Zahoor Palace, the ancestral residence of the Chaudhrys, in a bid to protect it from any assault.

The police cordoned off the whole area after blocking all roads leading to the palace as the city reverberated with aerial firing till late night.

The PPP’s local chapter has given a complete strike call to protest the Rawalpindi carnage in which Tauqeer Akram Kaira, who was Lalamusa city nazim and a very close associate of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari, also was killed. Tauqeer was the cousin of PPP’s former MNA Qamar Zaman Kaira.

GUJRANWALA: Anguished PPP workers and activists of civil society organisations reacted sternly to the killing of Benazir Bhutto and others in Rawalpindi bloodbath. The demonstrators blocked roads and set several vehicles on fire in and around the city.

They first set a passenger bus of a private company on fire on GT Road amid booming slogans. Similar protests were also reported from Kamoki, Rahwali, Gakkhar and Wazirabad. In Wazirabad, former MPA Ejaz Ahmad Saman led the demonstrators who blocked the GT Road for a couple of hours.

As soon as the sad news hit the otherwise prosperous city, traders and shopkeepers shut their business places promptly. All the filling stations of the city were also closed down.

The PML-Q candidates closed down their election offices anticipating attacks by provoked PPP workers. They also removed their banners and flags.

Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, PPP divisional president and a former MNA, Abdullah Virk, PPP district president, and city chapter secretary-general Zeeshan Ilyas condemned the carnage. They were, however, waiting for the PPP command’s directives to plan further line of action.

District Bar Association President Ilyas Husain Rehan announced that the bar would observe a complete strike on Friday (today).

JHANG: PPP workers took out a procession on Yousaf Shah Road and threw traffic out of gear for around two hours. They burnt tyres at Fawarra Chowk, Ayub Chowk and Sessions Chowk. However, the demonstrators remained calm and did not destroy any public or private belongings in the otherwise fragile city.

They resorted to slogan-mongering against President Musharraf and PML-Q leaders and later gathered at the election office of local PPP leader Malik Zaffar Abbas.

Blacked out Mianwali and Narowal also presented a gloomy look. A small-scale demonstration was witnessed in Shakargarh where protesters disrupted traffic. However, no violent incident was reported form these cities.

SARGODHA: Some people were injured when the angry workers pelted vehicles with stones. The PPP workers set fire to the election office of Farhana Shoaib, the wife of the tehsil nazim and a PML-Q candidate for the Jan 8 election. Aerial firing was also heard in some areas.

The place for a public meeting of Pervaiz Elahi was vacated. He was scheduled to arrive here on Thursday in connection with his election campaign.

SIALKOT: Violent PPP workers set ablaze vehicles, shops, PML-Q banners, hoardings and election offices in the city in protest against Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

They blocked main city roads by burning tyres and forcibly closed shops in areas like Allama Iqbal Chowk, Railway Road, Kutchery Road, Abbot Road, Khadim Ali Road, Dara Araaian, Hajipura, Kashmir Road and Lorry Adda.

Intermittent aerial firing was heard in various areas of the city. Power supply to the city broke down, but it was restored after some time.

The PPP activists attacked the offices of the Sialkot district and tehsil nazims. They also attacked a hotel on Kutchery Road, damaged its reception and tried to set it ablaze.

DCO Atta Muhammad Khan said the PPP activists also tried to set ablaze the district nazim’s office, but the police stopped them. However, the protesters damaged parts of the office, he added.

KHANEWAL: Workers came out of their houses and started gathering at Sanglanwala Chowk. Later, they set ablaze billboards and banners installed by the PML-Q candidates in connection with their election campaign and attacked shops. Shopkeepers immediately closed their shops and hurried to their homes.

The police failed to control the mob which raised slogans against the president and the PML-Q high command.

PPP’s Syed Fakhar Imam and district president Javed Hashmi condemned Benazir Bhutto’s killing.

TOBA TEK SINGH: Protest rallies were taken out in Gojra, Kamalia and Pirmahal.

In Kamalia, the PPP supporters tore banners, billboards and posters of the Q candidates. In Toba, no demonstration was held, however, dozens of workers staged a sit-in outside a PPP office to condemn the incident.

PML-N candidate Mian Junaid Anwaar and other local leaders visited the PPP office to condole the death.

SHEIKHUPURA: The city and its suburbs presented a deserted look after Ms Bhutto’s killing. Main commercial centres of the city were closed immediately and traffic on roads disappeared.

Later, scores of PPP activists took out a protest rally. Many of them were mourning and crying. In some parts of the city, the PPP activists resorted to aerial firing and ransacked the PML-Q election offices. Heavy police contingents cordoned off the entire city.

KASUR: Hundreds of PPP activists and office-bearers took out protest rallies and ransacked shops on Railway Road and at Nia Bazaar, burnt tyres at Chandni Chowk, Abdul Qadir Chowk, Kot Rukandin, Circular Road and Noorpur Canal.

Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad led the main rally in which around 1,000 PPP activists took part. The sobbing protesters held President Pervez Musharraf responsible for Ms Bhutto’s killing and raised slogans against him.

MUZAFFARGARH: Thousands of people came out of their homes crying and weeping after learning about Benazir Bhutto’s murder. They gathered at Qinwan Chowk and were still there when this report was filed at 10pm. All bazaars and shops were closed.

PPP activists burnt posters and flags of PML-Q and MQM and beat chests to mourn the death of Benazir who had visited Muzaffargarh on Dec 25 to address a public gathering here. Many people recorded her speech in their cell phones on that day.

Now, standing at Qinwan Chowk, they were playing her speech again and again. There was no electricity in the entire district.

Several workers were trying to hire buses to reach Garhi Khuda Bux to attend Ms Bhutto’s funeral.

PPP leaders Rana Mahboob and Mazhar Pahor said at least 50 buses would take people to Larkana from Muzaffargarh for Ms Bhutto’s funeral.

MULTAN: Violence erupted in parts of Multan where people vent anger at government vehicles and buildings. They marched on various roads and streets of the city, burnt tyres, raised slogans against President Musharraf and damaged property.

The main rally started from Daulat Gate where the protesters burnt banners, posters and billboards of the PML-Q candidates. Sources said the city district nazim had removed flags and banners from his house.

In Taunsa Sharif, a mob attacked the buildings of two bank branches and broke an ATM machine. They set fire to the National Bank building.

A complete shutter down was observed in Pakpattan, Lodhran, Kehror Pakka and Dunyapur. PPP leaders and workers organised protest rallies in Dunyapur and Pakpattan. Lawyers announced a week-long mourning.

FAISALABAD: The city was in disarray after the PPP loyalists went berserk. Aerial firing was reported in parts of the city. The protesters burnt a bus and blocked roads. The district bar association announced a two-day strike.

RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Rangers have been called out after the PPP activists incensed by their leader’s murder set fire to two government buildings in the city.

The news of Benazir Bhutto’s death triggered violence in which a mob burnt the DCO’s and other offices in the District Nazim Secretariat building. They also set on fire tehsil municipal offices in the Jinnah Hall besides ransacking the PML-Q office. The mob also tore up banners and posters of the PML-Q candidates.

OKARA: All the business centres were closed in anticipation of hostile reaction following the death of Benazir Bhutto. Some markets were closed forcefully by enraged PPP leaders and workers.

PPP workers marched through Ghousia Masjid Chowk, Harnianwala Chowk, Venus Cinema Chowk, Deepalpur Chowk and GT Road. They set ablaze used tyres and beat their chests in protest.

Some infuriated PPP activists gathered outside the residence of Rao Sikander Iqbal on Sahiwal Road and threw traffic out of gear for about half an hour. They shouted slogans against the PML-Q leader and burnt old tyres.

SAHIWAL: Enraged PPP workers forced shopkeepers to shut their businesses.

A group of PPP workers gathered at Saddar Bazaar and resorted to aerial firing. Protesters also burnt used tyres

Most of the areas remained without electricity and gas supply for many hours.

BAHAWALPUR: Awe and panic gripped the city when several groups of enraged PPP workers took to the street, forcing traders to shut their businesses and resorting to aerial firing.

Protesters blocked the traffic on Fawwara Chowk for three hours and chanted slogans against the government and President Pervez Musharraf.

VEHARI: The police had the shops closed forcefully in Vehari while PPP leaders and activists staged a protest demonstration outside the press club.