LAHORE, Sept 7: Various opposition parties said here on Wednesday that the Friday strike would be a great success, despite the pressure tactics being applied by the ruling party. They said they were in contact with the business community and transporters who had assured them of their cooperation.

The meeting, held at Mansoora, was attended by leaders including, Liaquat Baloch, Pir Ijaz Hashmi (MMA), Naveed Chaudhry (PPP), Zaeem Qadri, Pervaiz Malik (PML-N), Manzoor Gilani (Istiqlal Party), Rana Nazrur Rehman (PDP) and Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki (Jamaat al-Dawa).

The participants claimed that a number of parties and organizations had supported the strike call.

Naveed Chaudhry said the strike would be peaceful, however, he said, the government would be responsible for the consequences if it tried to provoke strikers.

He alleged the police were raiding houses of various opposition activists to keep them away from the strike. He said such tactics would not give the government the desired results.

Other leaders questioned the prime minister’s claims of economic recovery or the prevalence of investment-friendly climate in the country.

If it was really so, why the prime minister was keeping his wealth out of the country, one of them asked.

Liaquat Baloch criticized the foreign minister for meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Turkey. He said the foreign policy of the country had also failed.

He said that traders, workers, lawyers, transporters and even women would take an active part in the strike.

The strike, he said, would reflect people’s sentiments against the Musharraf government.

During the past five years, he said, prices had gone up manifold and there was tremendous increase in lawlessness, unemployment and corruption.

Rigging in local elections had exposed the ‘enlightened moderation’ of Gen Musharraf. The code of conduct issued by the Election Commission was being ridiculed as the third and the last phase of local elections was approaching. The prime minister, the ruling PML president and chief ministers were nominating district nazims, he pointed out.

The MMA leader said it was a matter of shame for the government that even the ministers were producing proof of rigging.