GUJRANWALA, May 28: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement has started reorganizing the party in Punjab with the setting up of its offices in Sahiwal, Faisalabad and Chiniot. This was stated by MQM central leader and Sindh environment minister Mauman Sehgal and Punjab reorganizing committee member Col Tahir Mashhadi (retired), while speaking at a news conference here on Saturday.

They claimed that the party graph was rising in all four provinces, while its chief Altaf Husain was also gaining popularity, particularly in Punjab.

MQM leaders suggested that Altaf Husain, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif should not return to Pakistan as the political scenario was not in their favour.

Dispelling the impression that their party was involved in highhandedness, they claimed some 1,500 MQM activists had been killed and hundreds were injured by their rivals.

They said that MQM offices in Gujranwala and Gujrat would soon start functioning.

arrears: A sales tax team headed by a deputy collector recovered on Saturday Rs5 million arrears from defaulters.

The team raided factories and shopping centres in and around the city in connection with a special campaign launched on the orders of the federal government to recover outstanding dues from defaulters and meet the target till the end of fiscal year on June 30.

It took some industrialists and traders into custody and released them when they cleared outstanding dues.

RELEASED: Around 81 prisoners involved in minor cases were released on the orders of the district and sessions judge here on Saturday.