KARACHI, July 19: A shop was sealed following seizure of audio cassettes containing speeches about jihad and the arrest of its owner in Korangi Industrial Area. The newspapers hawkers association claimed that 30 to 40 hawkers were picked up by police in various localities for selling “hate literature”. The police sealed a shop, seized hundreds of audio cassettes containing material about Jihad, and arrested its owner in Korangi Industrial Area.

TPO Landhi Qasim Ghori told Dawn that they seized around 150 audio cassettes containing proscribed material from the shop in Bangali Colony.

Shop owner Maulana Noor Alam was also arrested. “Almost every cassette carried a photograph on a title, showing Kalashnikovs and rockets”, the TPO remarked.

The Maulana is a resident of Allahabad Colony in Korangi and is being interrogated for his affiliation with any of the proscribed outfits.

Meanwhile, the All-Pakistan Newspapers Hawkers Federation condemned the arrest of hawkers and demanded their immediate release.

Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club, vice president of APNHF Abdur Rahim Pehlwan said the hawkers have no political parties or group affiliations and they had been working for earning their livelihood.

The unjust police action is tantamount to make 10,000 hawkers jobless, he said.

He said that 30 to 40 hawkers have been picked up for selling newspapers, magazines, periodicals in Preedy, Aziz Bhatti, Paposh, and North Nazimabad police limits.

He appealed to the political and social leaders, the APNS, and CPNE to play their role and influence the authorities to release newspaper hawkers.

They should hold talks with the authorities concerned to remove unrest among hawkers, otherwise the federation would convene an emergency meeting to take a decision which may affect the newspaper industry.

Meanwhile, police sources said they have picked up owner of Huma Book Depot in Nazimabad, identified as Aijaz Mehdi.

He was charged with selling hate literature written by Imam Khomeni.