PESHAWAR, Dec 29: The workers of the Pakistan People’s Party continued to hold demonstrations on Saturday in protest against the assassination of their leader Benazir Bhutto and offered fateha for the departed soul.

The PPP workers took out protest processions from various localities before they gathered at the Grand Trunk Road at Hashtnagri, where they offered funeral prayers in absentia for Ms Bhutto.

Chanting slogans against Gen Pervez Musharraf, the participants then marched to Jinnah Park where they offered fateha for the departed soul.

Throughout the day leaders of different political parties kept visiting the three-day condolence camp set up by the PPP workers to express sympathy with the PPP leaders on the demise of their leader.

The roads in Peshawar were deserted as the transporters did not bring their vehicles onto roads. Most of the private vehicle-owners also kept their cars away from roads, partly because almost all the fuelling stations were closed.

Some of the roads, including G.T. Road, Peshawar High Court Road, Suri Pul Intersection, Khyber Road, Railway Crossing Road and Kyber Bazaar Road were closed by the police for security reasons.

The traffic coming from Saddar was diverted towards the Bacha Khan Chowk in the morning, but it too was closed after a couple of hours.

The traffic coming from the University Town, Karkhano Bazaar and Hayatabad was diverted towards Shami Road.

The Bacha Khan Chowk was open in the morning, but it was closed when a protest procession chanting slogans against the government emerged from the Jinnah Park.

All the markets and business centres in Saddar, Khyber Bazaar, Qissa Khwani Bazaar and city areas remained closed.

The police remained alert in different areas to avert any untoward incident.