LAHORE: Representatives of different political parties, legal fraternity and workers unions on Wednesday visited the Minhajul Quran Secretariat to offer condolence to Pakistan Awami Tehreek officials where atmosphere was tense and gloomy.

A good number of PAT workers and citizens also kept visiting the residence of Tahirul Qadri and the secretariat to express sympathy and solidarity with the party over the killing of its activists during a brutal police action.

The nearby Khalid (International) Market, where dozens of vendors lost their valuables during police-PAT clashes and the looting spree by policemen, remained closed on the call of the local traders’ association.

Though the municipal workers removed the damaged and burnt stuff from the market area late on Tuesday, the debris of the demolished checkposts and bunkers was still scattered in and around the two PAT establishments.

The damaged vehicles were also seen parked at different places while some broken electricity cables were also lying on the road, posing a threat to pedestrians and motorists.

Not even a single policeman was seen there since Wednesday afternoon.

“We are observing a one-day strike against police brutality and killing of innocent citizens. Policemen not only attacked vendors and their stalls, but also subjected shopkeepers and vendors to severe torture during the clashes with PAT workers.

Four workers of the market are still missing and we do not know where they are,” said Muhammad Yousaf, a tailor at the market.

He said they had never any issue with the PAT activists and security guards manning the checkposts and barriers installed there.

Rashid, another tailor, who was sitting outside a plaza, said he did not expect such an operation in a residential locality and closure of the market where he had been working for around eight months.

“Up to 2,000 shopkeepers and vendors of the market were deprived of their day’s income while a good number of them lost their valuables and merchandise during the mayhem,” he said.

Nazir, a rickshaw driver, recalling Tuesday’s account, said a large number of policemen were deployed at the market and PAT activists burnt some wooden benches to stop city district government officials and police from going ahead with demolition. He said police opened fire on the activists.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2014