MULTAN, June 22: Police have reportedly rounded up four PPP activists on Tuesday after registering a case against 15 people for blocking the motorcade of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.

The minister was here on Sunday to launch Kissan credit card introduced by a private bank. When he approached near the venue where ceremony was to be held, some Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Seraiki Party activists intercepted his vehicle on Abdali Road.

They were protesting against deteriorating law and order situation in the country and 'step-motherly' treatment meted out to the Seraiki area in the federal and provincial budgets for 2004-05, respectively. Some of the protesters allegedly punched the minister's luxury vehicle.

No untoward incident had happened as the protesters were pushed away by the law enforcers without any extra effort. Later, the minister told newsmen that he did not mind the incident as it was their right (to express displeasure over the official policies).

However, the cantonment police registered a case under Section 341 PPC and MPO-16 against some 15 activists of PPP including Punjab Bar Council member Habibullah Shakir, former federal minister Mukhtar Awan, Khwaja Rizwan Alam, Salim Shahzad, M. Salim Raja, Malik Asad, Hashim Babar, Manzoor Qadari, Chaudhry Yasin, Rao Sajid, Salimur Rehman Mayo, Rana Nek Muhammad, Sharifullah Khan, Kunwar Zahid and Tariq Raza Khan.

Of the accused, Malik Asad, Hashim Babar, Chaudhry Salim and Rao Sajid had reportedly been apprehended while raids were being organized to round up the remaining activists named in the case.

Talking to Dawn, Habibullah Shakir condemned the police action and termed it a vindictive act. He said those people were accused in the incident who were not present there at the time of protest.

No action, however, was taken against the PSP activists, he added. Multan DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal said though the PSP workers were also present at the venue, they did not intercept the minister's vehicle.